Adventure in a Park: Prepping for the “Hike and Seek” Event

It’s early Saturday morning, with large iced coffees in hand, National Wildlife Federation’s Jaime Matyas and I are packing snacks (goldfish yum!) and our children into the car.  MacKenzie (7 years) and John-John (2 ½) are excited to head to Seneca Creek State Park for our adventure.

Being modern-day moms, we’re spending our Saturday multi-tasking.  We’re heading to the park to spend
some time outdoors with our children, but also to walk the trail for National Wildlife Federation’s newest event- Hike & Seek, that will be piloted in three cities this fall:

1.    Washington D.C., Seneca Creek State Park, Saturday October 2, 2010

2.    Chicago at Lincoln Park Grove, Saturday October 2, 2010

3.    Seattle at Seward Park, Saturday October 16, 2010

Hike & Seek is geared to exploring the outdoors wonders together and ensuring nature’s legacy. MacKenzie and John-John were in luck as we were able to hear the birds’ early morning calls and hike in
the cooler temperatures underneath the tree’s natural canopy.

Participants will experience more than bird calls when they hike with us on October 2 or 16th. We’ll have  five interactive Stop & Study stations along the trail to give children a quick break from hiking but to also learn more in depth on the following topics: Trees, Birds, Animal Tracks, Plants, and Water.

Additionally children will receive a naturalist sticker and badge, a Map & Mission Guidebook to plan the outing and a scavenger hunt list of objects to look for along the trail.  And for moms- we’ll have Aveda on-site offering wellness treatments, face-painting for your children, baby gear give-aways from Kolcraft/Jeep and a parent’s guide to nature in each park.

Our journey turned out to be a bit of an expedition as we got a little lost when we tried to find the lake. We promise to have better trail markings and REI representatives will be on-site teaching children (and adults) about hiking.

I hope you’ll join us on October 2nd or the 16th as we embark on this new quest to re-connect with nature.