Schools
Lincoln-Way to host outdoor education program
Area children will have an opportunity to collect seeds from a prairie and discover critters in a creek during an outdoor education program from 9 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. Oct. 11 at Lincoln-Way East High School in Frankfort.
The event, organized by Lincoln-Way High School's Environmental Action Club and the Hickory Creek Water Shed Planning Group, is open to children in grades K-5 in the Lincoln-Way area. The goal is to get kids off the couch and engaged in outdoor activities.
"Unstructured outdoor play provides excellent opportunities for cognitive, social and emotional development of children," said Lincoln-Way North science teacher Scott McCreary, who has organized a few outdoor education programs at the Lincoln-Way Agri-Science Center behind Lincoln-Way East High School.
Find out what's happening in Tinley Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Last year, he arranged for children to make seed collectors from milk jugs and learn about the prairie behind Lincoln-Way East. The year before, he helped them track animals, plant wildflowers and catch fish, frogs and insects that they later released back into the wilderness.
This year, children will collect seeds in the prairie and search the stream for crayfish, frogs, clam and muscles in Hickory Creek.
Find out what's happening in Tinley Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The programs are based on Chicago Wilderness' Leave No Child Inside initiative, which strives to get more children outside and increase the amount of time that they spend there.
The initiative incorporates a Children's Outdoor Bill of Rights that indicates every child should have the opportunity to:
Discover wilderness – prairies, dunes, forests, savannas and wetlands.
Camp under the stars.
Follow a trail.
Catch and release fish, frogs and insects.
Climb a tree.
Explore nature in neighborhoods and cities.
Celebrate heritage.
Plant a flower.
Play in the mud or a stream.
Learn to swim.
The program on Oct. 11 will incorporate three of those "rights," said McCreary – the right to discover wilderness, the right to follow a trail and the right to play in the mud or a stream.
"Research shows that the activities listed in the Children's Outdoor Bill of Rights nourish children's physical, social and emotional development while connecting them to the wealth of resources available in their back yards, neighborhoods, cities and region," he added.
McCreary has posted additional l information about the program on Lincoln-Way's website at http://www.lw210.org/prairieproject/index.html
Parents may register for the Oct. 11 program by calling 815-534-3014 or emailing outdoor@lw210.org by Oct. 8. The program is free and open to the first 30 kids who respond. Please include the names of the children who will be participating, their age and contact information.
Parents are welcome to stay for the program and enjoy coffee under the pavilion. Several groups will be present to share environmental messages and environmental hints with the adults.
Parents are advised to dress their children in rugged clothing as they will come back dirty. The Hickory Creek Water Shed Planning Group will provide boots for children to use that day, but everyone must provide their own socks.
