Introducing...

Fishkill Farms has invited Kids Unplugged to be their resident program for kids and nature. Throughout the summer, Kids Unplugged at Fishkill Farms will be hosting "Saturdays on the Farm" a bi-monthly series of nature and farm-based activities for children.

Fishkill Farms and its surrounding farmland, orchards, woodlands, pond, creek and meadows will serve as the backdrop for our adventures. Hands-on, sensory learning experiences include hiking, storytelling, nature games, crafting, treasure hunts, singing, creek walking, and farm chores.

Please join us on Saturday, June 13th at Fishkill Farms' opening day festivities. Kids Unplugged will be offering introductory activities for children throughout the day. Visit http://www.fishkillfarms.com/ for more information about this beautiful organic farm right up the Taconic in Hopewell Junction.

Meadows of Wildflowers

Yesterday's Wacky Wednesday was spent hiking along the Pocantico River Trail in Rockefeller State Park Preserve. It is one of my favorite walks in the Preserve and many folks saw why yesterday. I heard so many comments among our Kids Unplugged parents yesterday about the simple peaceful beauty of the trail.

We took the long route yesterday, which was actually quite long for short legs, and the kids did very well. In fact, I found myself feeling tired long before them yesterday!

Any time there is a body of water in which to fling rocks with fairly reckless abandon, kids are happy. There was much tossing of stones along the banks and playing of pooh sticks along the way http://www.theenchanted100acrewoods.50megs.com/poohsticks.htm
There were walking sticks to find and smaller ones to gather. There were stones carried in pouches made by t-shirts to be carried along the trail to the next good tossing bank. And there were birds. Pairs of red-winged blackbirds tussled happily in mid-air, playing hide and seek among the tall meadow grasses. A large, pileated woodpecker treated us to a very up-close visit as he searched an old stump for yummy ants.

And then there was the meadow. I have walked this trail many times but have never seen the meadow so blooming with wildflowers. Debbie, our wonderful photographer, shared a similar sentiment. She writes, "What a fantastic day. I love Rockefeller so much, such year round appeal. However, I do not think I have ever seen those wildflower meadows ever looking quite as amazing as they did yesterday. This is picture book stuff. I am sure the children will forever have fond memories of romping through the grass in search of flowers for their parents!"

Pocantico River Walk

And here are some of Debbie's incredible shots from this beautiful hike. Enjoy!

Gina

(Be sure to visit her at http://debbieallanphotography.com
http://www.debbieallanphotography.blogspot.com/)

Buttercups and Bridges at the Tarrytown Lakes

There is a short path accessible from the skate shack parking lot of the Tarrytown Lakes that wends its way back toward the Wilson Park neighborhood and is much less traveled than its popular cousin, the bike path, across the road. This was the scene of today's Wacky Wednesday.

We were treated to a large crowd of enthusiastic hikers, climbers and bushwhackers today tramping through the woods. We headed off trail to a break in the fence leading to a hidden soccer field on the west side of the small lake. Usually the field is mown short and fun to run around and play "watch-out-for-the-goose-poop" on. Today, however, it was in no condition for a game of football, but was a child's eden of tall meadow grass and buttercups. The kids wallowed and waded and picked the golden flowers, some of them small enough that the grasses grew up above their heads. It was the perfect spot for the little ones to roll and hide.

We continued along the trail to another favored spot--two fallen trees whose trunks balance neatly on the embankments which line either side of the trail, thus making natural bridges for running under and bravely attempting to cross. Holding the grown-ups' hands, on all fours, and scootching on bottoms, a train of children spent a good amount of time testing their skills and stamina.

A windfall of maple seeds at trail's end made for many joyful Pinnocchio noses as we said our goodbyes and planned for the next hike.

I am ever grateful to my resident photographer, Debbie Allan, for posting her weekly slideshows. Please visit her website http://debbieallanphotography.com/ if you'd like to order copies of any of her wonderful pictures and to see more of her work.

Wacky Wednesday at Glenville Woods

Last week's Wacky Wednesday Walk was at Glenville Woods in Tarrytown; that little park off 119 that we've driven by loads of times. One mama told me that when they pulled in today her son said, "I've always wanted to come here!"

I felt the same way and was pleasantly surprised by what we found.

As we gathered for the hike, the kids spent some time in the little playground that is visible from 119 when driving by. We soon left the play area and headed north toward a peaceful pond replete with families of ducklings and goslings. We took our time crossing a beautiful footbridge that crosses the pond and it's feeder stream before heading up the hill along the orange trail.

It was a big crowd and our hikers spread out all along the trail, taking the short yellow loop before heading back down the hill to the pond. The end of the hike was spent with more pond exploration (during which my kid splooged as usual, much to her chagrin), playground time, and grown-up chatting. Wacky Wednesdays have been a big hit, lately. I'm looking forward to more.

Debbie Allan of Debbie Allan Photography has generously posted a slide show of our Glenville Woods hike below. You can visit http://debbieallanphotography.com/ for more information about this Tarrytown local and to view more of her beautiful work. Thanks again, Debbie!

Saturday by the Shore

After having visited the Edith Read Sanctuary back in the late winter, I kind of expected the Marshlands Conservancy, also along the Long Island Sound in Rye, to be similar. I was surprised to find it remarkably different.

Our initial plan was to attend a nature sketching workshop with one of the park's naturalists, however, the size of our group prohibited us from participating. Fortunately, Alison Beall the Conservancy's curator, was more than accommodating, offering us a wonderful and seasonally appropriate scavenger hunt to do with the kids.

I must speak for a moment here from my teacher platform. I was really impressed by the scavenger hunt. No bells and whistles--just a simple list of really cool things for the kids to look for along the trail, my favorite being "a tiny caterpillar hanging from a silk thread." It's my understanding that you can only discover these creatures for a very short period of time each spring. In this vein, I find that more often than not, kids activities are often very bland, i.e. the same scavenger hunt handed out ad nauseum without regard for changing seasons etc. It was obvious that thought and care went into the creation of this hunt--and left lots of room for the kids to interpret things in their own ways, to ask interesting questions and to learn about all sorts of things about the ecology of the Conservancy (parents, too!).

We hiked along a trail that led us through varying terrain, from woodland to meadow, from dunes to marshes and shoreline. The kids spotted myriad fungi and earthworm castings and definitely learned to identify poison ivy--whose berries, we gleaned, are an essential food source for native birds.

The highlight, of course, were the little areas of beach at the trail's end. The parents eventually abandoned our attempts at keeping the kids out of the water as they waded and dug and explored. A tiny crab was found and although his health was questionable, a loving home was nonetheless constructed for him among the rocks. They scooped handfuls of tiny snails, found the treasured shell of a robin's egg, and watched their hands sparkle as they became sticky with fragments of sand and mica.

We hiked back, full with the discoveries we made, the wettest we've gotten yet.

Searching for Clover

This afternoon was spent visiting the very pretty trails and gardens of Hart's Brook Park and Preserve in Hartsdale. My only disappointment was that the enormous rhododendrons along the trail had not yet bloomed. This alone is a reason to return in the near future.

As people arrived for the hike, the kids spent a good deal of time playing on the beautiful expanse of lawn that was once a part of the Gaisman Estate while we parents jockeyed for parking--we had a very large crowd today, the first dry day we've had after quite a bit of rain. Once we were all settled snugly into the lot, and the Park Superintendent's concern that our motley crew would trample the park flora was assuaged, we headed out for a hike along the preserve's yellow trail.

As always, the kids were delighted when we happened upon a sweet woodland pond and miniature waterfall. They dipped toes precariously, tossed rocks and speculated about what lay beneath the nesting geese in the pond's center. We then came across an old stone shelter of some sort, like the woodcutter's cottage in a fairy tale, and the kids clambered around the foundation trying to get peeks into the dusty windows. A forest of rhododendron provided some joyful climbing for a while before we continued along the trail.

As we emerged from the woods, we found ourselves on the back side of the preserve's gardens in a small glade with a hill that begged for rolling. The kids took to it with no prompting and were soon rolling down in tumbling, laughing piles, arms and legs askew. The parents chatted and admired the park's abundant herb and spring-blooming perennial gardens.

Hart's Brook is home to extensive demonstration gardens maintained by Master Gardener volunteers of Cornell's Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Westchester County. Aside from the herbs and perennials, there is a vegetable garden, fruit and berry beds, a woodland shade garden and a children's garden where kids and parents can learn about vegetable gardening alongside Master Gardner volunteers.

The day finished with a gleeful shout from my daughter upon discovering a four-leaf clover. It was a happy scene watching the kids crawling togther along the lawn in the hopes of finding another bit of lucky green.

Beautiful title shot (yes, that really is a four-leaf clover--it's in our flower press now!) was taken by Debbie Allan of Debbie Allan Photography. As always, many thanks, Debbie!