PENDLETON — Knowing the difference between a tree frog and a bull frog or simply hugging a tree can help bring youngsters closer to nature.
Leaders at Falls Park have approved a new outdoor program called Nature Explorer, a monthly gathering for area children to help them learn more about nature, including the weather, plants and the animals in the great outdoors.
The program is being taught by Krysta Bozman of Pendleton, an outdoor enthusiast who wants children to love nature as much as see does.
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The nature program is open to children ages kindergarten through age 10 and lasts through October.
“Although I do think technology is great, I feel kids don’t really know what is out there in the natural world — they’re not going to love it and want to fight for it and protect it,” Bozman said.
As a mother of a young daughter, Bozman said she feels it’s important for children to develop an understanding of how important nature is to a community.
Bozman will meet with children one Saturday per month through October to explore nature, talk about the outdoors and the critters who make their homes in it, and give area youngsters a better appreciation of how much nature has to offer.
Children ages 8 to 10 meet from 9 to 10 a.m. at Falls Park. Children ages 5 to 7 meet from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
The meetings are set for Saturday, June 9; Saturday, July 14; Saturday, Aug. 25; Saturday, Sept. 22; and Saturday, Oct. 27.
The program is open to any child interested in learning more about nature and costs $10 per gathering.
Bozman studied conservation and law enforcement with the hope of being a park ranger but is currently working as an executive assistant. Still, her passion is being outdoors.
She’s worked in the past with the Department of Natural Resources and is volunteering her time to teach the classes, which started in April. In that class, children learned about water tables, and in May they participated in a scavenger hunt.
They also got to see geese with their babies, yellow finches, cardinals, the local park ducks and some frogs.
While participation wasn’t as high as she expected for the first two sessions, Bozman is hoping once school is out and children are looking for interesting things to do, parents will sign them up or just stop by the nature program.
In addition to hands-on learning, Bozman creates handouts the children can take home and read, in which she selects an animal of the month to help the youngsters learn about the critter.
Youngsters will have a chance to learn about plants, trees, identifying animals tracks and more.
Ron Barnhart, Falls Park superintendent, said he was thrilled to support the program. The parks board approved the monthly meetings and liked the idea of getting children outdoors to not only enjoy but also learn more about nature.
“I’ve been wanting to get some kind of program like this for many years,” Barnhart said.
For more details, visit the Falls Park Office, 450 Falls Park drive, for registration forms or contact Bozman at [email protected] or 765-432-5105.