Kids Unplugged

Rockefeller Fridays Details & Directions

2010-09-01T21:42:00.003-04:00

*All hikes will leave 10 minutes after designated meeting time and are a suggested donation of $5 per family.

Friday, September 17th
Pocantico River Trail
Rockefeller Preserve, Sleepy Hollow
Meeting Time: 4:00 p.m.
Meeting Place: At the trail head along Sleepy Hollow Road
Directions: Heading west on Bedford Road (448) turn left on Sleepy Hollow Road. Go through the stop sign and continue 1/2 mile to the trail head. There is a white farmhouse next to the entrance gate. Parking is all along Sleepy Hollow Road. If you park near the trail, try to park nose-in rather than parallel to leave space for other vehicles. Parking is limited--carpool if possible.
Details: This is a beautiful trail along the Pocantico River and is one of our favorites! It's a mostly flat, wide trail--strollers are fine here, but jog strollers are best. BYO snacks and water.
Note: Use caution when walking with kids to the trail. The trail head is on a blind curve and folks tend to whiz around the bend. Stay near the boulders as you walk to the start of the trail.

Harvest Day on the Farm

2010-08-28T22:13:00.000-04:00

Today was the last of the summer's farm Saturdays and spent it celebrating the harvest. From baking bread to hiking through the gardens to see the farm's bursting bounty of fruits and vegetables before harvesting some of our own, our morning was filled with activity and adventure.

We were fortunate to spend most of the morning with Robin, one of the farm's workers, as he lead us on a tour of the fields to spot vines full of ripe cantaloupes, honeydews, and watermelons. Little did the kids know that he had stashed a big, beautiful watermelon in a cooler to share with all of them later. Robin has a natural ease with children. He was brimming with both knowledge about the farm's produce and enthusiasm for sharing that knowledge with the kids and parents alike. He patiently answered our questions, plucked fallen, ripe pears for everyone to enjoy as we hiked and pointed out everything from stink bugs to kale to a huge paper wasp's nest hidden in a pear tree.

He then brought the children over to a section of the garden where they were able to harvest their own grape tomatoes, cucumbers, red and green peppers, and a couple of rogue eggplant they found in the meadow. Some of the kids happily ate their cucumbers like apples, skins and all, warm from the sun and straight from the vine.

With small arms laden with produce, we hiked back up to the farm store where everyone enjoyed their freshly baked bread with butter and local honey from the farm along with slabs of cool, juicy watermelon Robin passed around with a laugh and a grin.

It was a lovely way to end our summer season.

Bugs, Butterflies, Worms & Compost

2010-08-21T22:12:00.000-04:00

Our day at the farm today was spent learning about and searching for the myriad critters that are either the friends or foes of farmers everywhere.

We started our day at one of the kids' favorite spots on the farm--the chicken coops! One of the things that the kids would learn later during their visit to the composting area was that the chickens serve many purposes on the farm aside from the gorgeous eggs they lay each day. But for the time being, collecting eggs was the focus. They filled their baskets quickly, some of them more tentative than others. Some of the hens can be quick to peck at hands that are trying to reach beneath them for the eggs that lie in the cozy, sawdust-filled nesting boxes, while others languish comfortably waiting to be relived of the pile under their feathers. And then there are the more accessible chicken-free nesting boxes that are full of eggs--light brown, darker brown, pale blue, pale green, creamy white--and the kids like to gather those the most! The farm's free-range hens produce eggs of a variety of hues because they forage for food in the orchard and the color of the eggs shows their varied diet.

After a good time spent in the hen house we headed back up to our picnic tables where the kids created watercolor butterflies for mobiles they would create later. We gathered fallen sticks from the orchard's apple trees on our way back from the chickens to use to hang the butterflies when they were dry.

When the art project was complete we were joined by the farm's proprietor, Josh Morgentheau for a mini-lesson about good bugs and bad bugs before heading out into the orchard for some hunting. Josh truly loves what he is doing and his passion for the farm, its ecology and its mission is palpable. He speaks with conviction about his practices and about his own growth as a new farmer. He is also an excellent teacher, and while I spent time among the queen anne's lace, butterfly weed and mugwort with the children catching whatever we could, Josh fielded questions from parents with an impressive depth of knowledge. The children were thrilled to find various larvae snuggled on the undersides of apple tree-leaves, to pick ladybugs from the meadow grasses, to chase the monarchs and to catch the grasshoppers that sprang up from all directions.

We then hiked over to the composting area where the kids were fascinated by the garbage that would soon become the farm's "black gold." It was there that they learned that the farm's hens not only eat the compost, but contribute to the soil in their own way--chicken poop makes great fertilizer!

The day ended with the kids assembling their butterfly creations on the patio with some apple cider donuts to help them along.

July on the Farm

2010-07-24T23:24:00.000-04:00

Stay tuned for accounts of our July peach and creek farm forays!

Solstice Fairies on the Farm

2010-06-19T23:03:00.018-04:00

The summer solstice, that day of mischief and magic marking the beginning of the summer season, falls on Monday, June 21st this year. In honor of midsummer's arrival, we spent a lovely Saturday morning on the farm hiking and building fairy houses for the pixies and little folk that would be celebrating the new season by moonlight.

This is sure to become an annual event for Kids Unplugged at Fishkill Farms and you can see the photos of last year's fairy houses here.

I like to honor the changing seasons with the children for several reasons, and the farm is the perfect venue for doing so. Our busy, modern lives have lead us away from the deep connection with the land and the earth's natural rhythms that our ancestors had. One needs only to read some of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books to see how closely in sync family life was with nature and the seasons. I think that even though our present way of life disconnects us, to a large extent, from those natural, seasonal cycles, children (and adults) are still deeply affected by the changing seasons and acknowledging and celebrating these shifts can be very meaningful. It can also help children as they transition from one season to another.

At the same time, life on the farm continues to observe the rhythm of the seasons. The name midsummer itself is a misnomer--how could the first day of summer be in the middle of summer? But for farmers, the first day of summer was indeed the middle of the growing season. Seeds were sown earlier in the spring, when danger of frost had passed and the sun had warmed and thawed the ground so that it could be worked again. By midsummer's night, those early crops were thriving, much of the hard work of preparing the fields was finished and it would be a few more weeks before the real work of harvesting would begin. Midsummer was an opportunity to relax a bit--to celebrate the long, warm, sunny days that would soon ripen the bounty of the fields.

And historically, it is on midsummer's night, under June's full honey moon, that the fairies come out to dance and make mischief and bring love and lead unsuspecting humans astray into the forest. This, obviously, is the part that the children love the most.

So, after talking about the solstice and the farmers and then the fairies, and harnessing their spirit of magic and mystery, we spent the morning hiking out along a couple of the old farm roads collecting materials which would later become the makings of fairy houses. Then we found a quiet little woodland spot where they went to work on their creations. And when it was time to go, they did not want to stop. Only the promise of a good fairy story and some of the farm's homemade ice cream could lure them out of the woods and away from their elfin homes.

A Morning in Fishkill's Gardens

2010-05-22T23:14:00.008-04:00

The last of our Spring Saturdays on the Farm was spent exploring in and around Fishkill Farms' orchards and 5-acres of organic vegetable gardens learning about all of the amazing produce that is grown there. After reading a story and playing a web game illustrating the interconnectedness of the farm's ecosystem, Mark Doyle, the farm's overseer and jack-of-all-trades, took the kids on a tour that began with a visit to the greenhouse to see where all the farm's seedlings are born. At the greenhouse we met up with Logan, one of the farm interns, and together we all hiked down the farm road past a stand of cherry trees whose fruit was partially damaged by a recent late season frost. We learned how cherries, which are composed of a lot of water, can freeze and die when a frost hits after they've begun to grow and saw first hand how susceptible produce can be to adverse weather conditions. We walked down to the gardens to see the onions, smell the garlic, identify last season's broccoli rabe and learn about crop rotation. We talked about good bugs and bad bugs and rain and drought. And when our tour was over we hiked back up the hill to make some water color paintings inspired by what we saw.

Using the frost-bitten cherries as a jumping off point, we then dissected some cherry tomatoes and played a game that taught the kids about the challenges seeds face when attempting to become plants. We finished the day with the farm's cinnamon-sugar donuts and a rousing reading of Grandma Lena's Big Ol' Turnip by Denia Lewis Hester. Fun and learning was had by all!

Several families stayed for a while afterward to picnic on the patio and shop in the farm's market which opens officially for the season this coming Saturday, May 29th. As much as I love being at the farm during the off-season, I find myself looking forward to the bustle of the coming summer, not to mention the bountiful harvest that is just on the horizon. Summer at the farm brings strawberries, cherries, blueberries, peaches and nectarines to pick as well as a farm market filled to the brim with produce from the gardens. Salad greens are already available and the peas are coming soon. I'm so glad it's almost the time of year when I don't have to buy a single vegetable from outside of our local area--and Fishkill Farms is just the place to start! Check out the farm's website to learn more about the coming season.

Wednesday's Rockwood Romp

2010-05-19T22:12:00.007-04:00

This afternoon our Wacky Wednesday was spent amidst the tall meadow grasses and buttercups at Rockwood Hall in the Rockefeller Preserve. This is easily one of my favorite spots in the park and is yet another great place for the kids to hike due to the various trail options and short loops that abound in this section of the preserve.

One of the features of this trail is the enormous weeping beech tree that you encounter just at the top of the trail before you get to the old foundation. (For more history about this trail, check out the report from a 2009 winter hike here). The towering beech has re-rooted in several places along the ground beneath its drooping boughs thus creating a huge, enclosed space for the children to climb and play. For a long time, the kids were attracted to the two Sergeant Hemlocks on the grounds for climbing as they are lower to the ground than the beech and easier for them to scale. After talking to the preserve manager I learned that the hemlocks were fragile species and she instead encouraged the kids to climb the beech. It's definitely hard to steer them away from those hemlocks, but luckily the beech is the first tree they come to on the trail, so that helps!

I really think they could spend an entire Wacky Wednesday under and atop the beech tree's limbs, but after a while I lured them along the trail toward the foundation and Rockwood's lower loop. The walls of the old foundation are another spot upon which they love to balance and climb and slide and they spent a good amount of time there before taking the lower trail at a run. After that, there was some cavorting in the meadow among the tall grass and buttercups, wildflower bouquets to pick, and games of tag and tackle to be had. They ended up yet again under the beech at the end of the trail before it was time to head home.

We did notice that the beech lost a pretty large limb, most likely in one of the late winter storms which hit us this past season. Some of the leaves of the beech were browning around their edges, and it seemed that it wasn't just those near the fallen limb that were getting brown but all over the tree. I'm a little worried about that. This would be a terrible tree to lose.

For the Love of Rain!

2010-05-14T21:49:00.000-04:00

We spent this morning hiking at the East Irvington Nature Preserve for our third hike with the Rivertown Playgroup. The forecast was iffy--maybe rain, maybe not--and the overcast-ish sky wasn't really giving any clues about what 11 o'clock was going to look like. So we forged ahead with our plans and a small group, clad in raincoats and ladybug boots, congregated at the trail head in the midst of sunshine and drizzle.

I was sad that the unpredictable weather had kept so many folks away today, because it turned out to be a truly beautiful hike. The temperature was balmy and although there was some rain, the puddles were a source of joy for the children who were certainly unfazed by the weather, sloshing happily along the trail. Warm, damp days in the woods are often my favorite kind as there is a certain magical smell that wafts through a rainy forest, and I kept taking deep breaths to drink it in.

East Irvington Nature Preserve is a sweet little space that provides endless opportunities for exploration and adventure along trails that are readily accessible for young children. There is a small pond with an overlook deck, a stream, woodland trails, and a wide, gravel path leading to a cool water tower. There are fallen trees and boulder configurations for climbing, sticks to collect, stones to toss, and wildlife to spot. There was a fuzzy caterpillar and some geese and other birds, but the main thrill was the big bullfrog camouflaged among the chartreuse duckweed on the pond's surface.

We stuck to the water tower path which is a straight shot up a hill and back down again--perfect for the little ones--rather than blazing along the Wecquaesgeek trail that is better suited for the school-aged crowd. There were some piggy back rides, but for the most part, the kids walked up and back themselves, with plenty of sidebar attractions like mud to squish and sticks to thwack and gravel to scoop. They ran and shrieked and cavorted and adventured. And when we got back to the trail head, they were soaked and filthy and hungry. It was a solid effort and I look forward to doing it again soon!

Fresh from the Farm!

2010-04-29T23:23:00.002-04:00

Kids Unplugged at Fishkill Farms is featured in the May issue of Westchester Family Magazine. The magazine is available free all around Westchester County, so pick one up and check us out. We hope you will be able to join us at the farm soon--it's a wonderful place! Registration for our summer session begins May 3rd. Stay tuned!

Spring Rain at Halsey Pond

2010-04-28T21:50:00.007-04:00

We spent a cool and misty spring afternoon at Halsey Pond today for our Wacky Wednesday Walk, and were treated to swans and geese and puddles. On the way up the hill to the pond loop we spent some time learning about a poisonous plant that has been sprouting up all over the place with the warming weather. For three seasons out of the year I spend quite a bit of time pointing out poison ivy on the trails--it climbs on trees and fences and stone walls, it creeps along the forest floor, it camouflages itself among harmless plants and wildflowers, it can be quite devious. Having grown up in the woods spotting poison ivy at a pretty young age, I am often surprised by how many adults don't know how to identify it. Three distinct characteristics of poison ivy are: 1. clusters of three leaflets, 2. an alternate leaf arrangement, 3. a lack of thorns. Additionally, the tiny leaves that emerge early in the spring are often red-tinged and shiny, while in the fall the mature plant can turn bright reddish-orange. Finally, in the wintertime, dormant poison ivy vines (which still contain urushiol--the oil that gives us that itchy rash) are those thick, hairy ones climbing up the trees. There are some catchy rhymes to help folks remember what poison ivy looks like, and I taught the kids a couple of them. The easiest to remember is, "leaves of three, let it be." Another one is, "Hairy vine, no friend of mine." And my personal favorite, which I didn't tell the kids (we had a younger group today), "Raggy rope, don't be a dope!" A couple others I found online are, "Red leaves in the spring, a dangerous thing," and "Side leaflets like mittens will itch like the dickens," referring to the fact that oftentimes the middle of the three leaves is the largest one with two smaller leaflets sticking out on either side. Whatever mnemonic device you choose to help you to identify the plant, keep it in mind the next time you are on the trail with your kids and help them to learn to recognize it. If not, well, you're gonna need an ocean...

After our poison ivy mini-lesson we made our way slowly around the pond, taking time to watch the birds, to splooge in the puddles, and to find good walking sticks. There was an enthusiastic search for critters toward the end of our hike as someone remembered that it was good salamander weather. The kids dug through the piles of last autumn's damp leaves lining the trail's edge in search of any amphibious creatures nesting below. And while no salamanders were uncovered, lots of other wigglies, rollies, and crawlies turned up for inspection. The search went on for quite some time until it was time to move things along and head home for the dinner hour.

Lovely spring hike.

From Seed to Sprout--Saturday on the Farm

2010-04-24T21:06:00.020-04:00

Today was the second in our series of Spring Saturdays on the Farm at Fishkill Farms and the farm is really starting to come to life! We spent the morning learning about the all-important seed--that which is the beginning of almost everything at Fishkill Farms. Before we started our seed and sprout adventures, we spent a bit of time down at the hen houses doing what the kids seem to love to do most--collect the eggs. I've said before that they just never seem to tire of it. And while there were no magically colorful eggs in the nesting boxes today, it was just as thrilling to gather a bunch of warm brown, light blue and light green-ish eggs from the resident laying hens. One child even found a teeny-tiny egg today which she loved so much that her mama told me she brought it with her to bed tonight!

After hauling the egg baskets (and big bouquets of dandelions!) back up to the farm store and washing our hands, it was time for a visit to the greenhouses to catch a glimpse of the farm's precious seedlings. The kids were able to peek into the greenhouses through their open ends to see the beds of baby greens sprouting up as well as the tables laden with the hundreds of fragile seedlings which would be transplanted to the farm's gardens when the danger of frost passes. On our way back, we had a moment to visit with the sheep and lambs who were now big enough to be moved to a pen in front of the farmer's house. They'd grown so much since we visited with them back in March!

Our morning continued with a bit of role playing as we were introduced to our friend Sprout and some seed dissection as well as a bit of planting--I'll be anxious to hear if anyone's seeds sprouted! Please keep me posted! We finished up by reading a beautiful book by Alice Clooney called Miss Rumphius, a story that perfectly illustrates the wonder of seeds. Another refreshing morning at Fishkill Farms.

The Outside World

2010-04-20T22:42:00.002-04:00

One of my daughters, who asked that she remain anonymous, wrote this poem yesterday and read it aloud to me. As she read it she said, "Dedicated to my really cool Mom who started this cool program." Nice testimonial, right? Anyhow, I told her I'd post it here so that she'd be officially published on the internet.

The Outside World

The outside world
is another world
another world
the fun, fun world
the world where you can
laugh and play and be
yourself everyday

The outside world
is another world
the world to be...
YOURSELF!

Good stuff.

Springtime Wading at Gory Brook

2010-04-14T22:02:00.008-04:00

Another beautiful April afternoon today and just perfect for a walk along the Gory Brook trail in Rockefeller. When everyone arrived this afternoon I said to all the kids, "I'm going to give you guys a challenge today--let's see who can stay out of the brook!" I said that to them because I honestly thought that they wouldn't want to get into the water today. It was beautiful, but not super-warm, just perfectly springy. No one was wearing boots as it's been dry and we weren't really expecting mud. So I thought it was an attainable challenge. I was dead wrong.

I think it's time to admit to myself that the bottom line is that the kids just can't stay out of the water. Even in the dead of winter, they're poking the toes of their boots into the wet spaces between the shoreline and the beginning of the ice. Or trying to poke through the ice to reach the water below. Water attracts kids. There's no denying it.

We had a reasonably sized group today and headed down trail with kids picking buttercup bouquets and watching out for the newly sprouting poison ivy climbing the trees. Walking sticks were found, stones collected and tossed, logs balanced upon. But it was when we reached our favorite swaths of shore under the second stone bridge that the magic began.

In their defense I'll say that most of the kids stayed out of the drink for a decent amount of time, though the ones that went directly in definitely lured the others. My hesitation lay only in anticipation of having to put three pairs of shoes and socks back on three soggy pairs of feet, but eventually I caved and in went my girls to join their pals.

The magical part was watching as their play emerged. The older kids worked diligently to pull a large branch along the shore, put it into the brook, watch it travel under the bridge, and then work as a team to retrieve it from the deeper part of the brook to start the cycle over again. They did this several times and it was great to see their various strategies develop as they figured out where and how to pull the branch from the brook and schlep it back to the other side of the bridge.

The younger ones took delight in balancing on rocks, collecting stones and sticks to toss into the water, and squish their toes into the cold spring mud. Others bushwhacked around in the woods or sat watching the peaceful water flowing while having a snack.

When it was time to go we hauled our pucker-toed children up the bank for shoes and socks. Only a couple of them emerged soaked up to their waists and had to hike back up with sweaters tied around their waists like sarongs. They were good sports about it, though.

The hike out is always longer than the hike in, but again, the kids remained cheerful even though it was the dinner hour. They had fun. They played hard, got wet and dirty, explored, challenged themselves and each other, took some risks, shared their snacks and made some friends. It was just as it should be. Let's do it again soon.

Hillside Woods Ramble

2010-04-07T22:01:00.009-04:00

It's our first Wacky Wednesday of April and for the sake of posterity I must mention that we've got a record-breaking 91-degrees on the thermometer in Central Park this afternoon. I also must mention that this kind of freaks me out. In any case, we spent a lovely afternoon in Hillside Woods in Hastings today, though it did feel strange to be hiking in July-like heat while looking at the naked trees of early spring.

I learned of Hillside Woods first from Jane and Walt Daniels fantastic book Walkable Westcheste r and later from Haven Colgate, the director of the Hillside Nature Guides program, whom I met at the Hastings Grassroots Music Festival this past fall. Haven has been running Nature Guides, a volunteer program that works in conjunction with the Hastings schools for several years. I'd been hesitant to plan a hike at Hillside due to the fact that the park is not really blazed, though it's a place I've been wanting to visit for a long time. Haven treated me to a guided tour of the trails on a rainy morning in early March to give me the lay of the land for future Hillside hikes.

So today was Kids Unplugged's first visit to Hillside Woods and Sugar Pond. It's a perfect spot for an after school hike as the loop isn't that long yet the ecology along the trail is completely varied with pond, stream, wetland and woodland areas. And while most of us got mired in some relatively deep and squishy mud along the pond's shore right at the beginning of the hike, most of the kids gave up trying to stay dry pretty early on, wading right into the stream shoes, socks and all.

Streams and wading are always a highlight on our warm-weather hikes, but thanks to one dad who brought along a bunch of nets, the fat tadpoles the kids pulled from the ponds were a definite thrill! I hope you can see them in the photo.

Hillside is sure to make it onto our regular Wacky Wednesday circuit!

Vernal Pools at Muscoot

2010-03-31T22:00:00.011-04:00

Our spring break has been pretty soggy as we've had two solid days of cold rain and drizzle thus far. Thankfully we were greeted by some drier weather this morning for our Wacky Wednesday vacation hike to visit the vernal pools at Muscoot Farm--and the days of rain left us with lots of mud and puddles in which to splooge and splash. In fact, the farm's ducks were treated to a little pond as their barnyard play area was so flooded they were swimming in it instead!

After spending some time visiting with Muscoot's chickens and goats, our ample group made it's way along the farm road, past the sheep and up the hill toward the 7-miles of trails on the property. Our destination today--three of the farms' vernal pools where we would spend some time exploring.

As I described in last year's trip report, vernal pools are bodies of water which are fed primarily through melting snows, rains, and overflow from nearby wetlands. There is no stream or creek bringing them water and, subsequently, they dry up with the summer heat. Because of their relatively brief existence, fish cannot survive in vernal pools making them ideal, preadator-free breeding grounds for our amphibious friends, namely frogs and salamanders. We visited Muscoot's pools last spring as well.

The recent rains left the trails overflowing with water and the pools were sure to be brimming as well. Little rivers flowed down trail and the kids found delight in walking "upstream" into the woods. Everyone came prepared in good, high boots leaving them free to wade and jump with abandon.

The hike to the pools is a gradual uphill walk of less than a mile. Upon arrival we joined as a group to talk about some of the creatures we might see up there and how to treat them should we spot any. I encouraged the kids to gently roll aside logs and rocks along the forest floor to find salamanders, to rustle carefully among the leaves for tiny spring peepers and to look closely along the pools' edges for egg clusters. The pictures will speak for themselves about our discoveries. This hike is sure to become an annual favorite for Kids Unplugged.

Many thanks to Barbara Allendorf for today's fantastic photos!

Baby Animals on the Farm

2010-03-27T22:52:00.020-04:00

Today was Kids Unplugged's first day at Fishkill Farms for the new season and what a fantastic time we had. First off, it was just wonderful to be back up there as I haven't been since late November. The farm is brimming with new life of all sorts--a fresh batch of chicks and several baby lambs, the birth of the farm's exciting CSA programs, the promise of a huge new barn beginning to take shape, and buds and sprouts throughout the orchards and in one of the farm's tropical greenhouses.

After a week of weather nearing the 70-degree mark, we woke this morning to a balmy 31F but with blessedly bright sunshine and no wind to mention. By the time everyone arrived, the sun was high in the sky and the hike down to the chicken coops warmed us up quite comfortably.

The chickens, in one of their winter locations in the orchard, were roaming happily when we arrived though the ones inside the coops, roosting snugly in their nesting boxes were less than thrilled to be disturbed. I had mentioned to the kids that the farmer had told me the laying hens had been behaving a bit strangely and that their eggs seemed a little odd as of late. Squeals of delight coming out of the hen houses told me that they'd discovered the mystery of this information. "I found a pink egg!" shouted one. "Look, here's a green one," exclaimed another. "I didn't know chickens could lay bright blue eggs," quipped yet another. The colorful eggs I'd stashed down there before everyone arrived were having exactly the effect I'd hoped they would.

Decorative eggs aside, the kids absolutely love gathering from the hen houses and they had dozens collected in the farm's wire blue baskets when I announced that it was time to head back. I've mentioned before here that collecting eggs with kids is really a wonderful experience and I practically had to drag them out of the coops to hike back up for our next activity.

With hands freshly washed, the kids gathered around picnic tables nestled beside the peach trees while we introduced the day's crafts. Julia, one of the farm's organic vegetable growers who is also responsible for tending to the resident sheep, brought us a small box filled with wool from those sheep. We were going to be felting today, a traditional farm fiber craft, and looking at some raw wool was a great avenue into the activity. The farm's sheep are "hair sheep" which means that they shed instead of needing shearing. Their fur is not like the thick, curly wool from a sheared sheep. Still, the kids passed the wool around the table enjoying the sensation of touching the natural fibers. Wet felting, the type of felting we were doing today, is a very soothing activity for children. Soft, naturally dyed wool is wrapped tightly around an object (today it was a wooden egg) and then immersed in warm, soapy water. With another little dollop of soap, the child can rub and squeeze their egg, bringing the fluffy fibers together until they mat and form a bit of felted "fabric." The eggs are then rinsed and set in the sun to dry. At the same time, another group of children were coloring on eggs with beeswax crayons before dyeing them. As we had a mixed age group, the younger children began with the eggs before moving over to the felting table.

Just as we were finishing our crafting, Josh arrived with a crate full of what he called 'adolescent chicks' as they are now about 7-weeks old. This was their first foray out of their winter habitat and they cheeped nervously as Josh gently moved them around the circle of children to be petted gently. There were four different varieties of chicks, one of them the Rhode Island Red laying hen that makes up the farms flock of nearly 500.

After meeting the chicks we walked over to find Julia where she was busy seeding in the greenhouse and she treated us to a visit with the farm's sheep and their new baby lambs. I think there were five of them with two ewes expecting to deliver within the next few weeks. The lambs were skittish as well, but the kids and parents alike were enthralled to watch Julia give them their bottles of milk which they sucked hungrily, polishing them off in seconds.

One of the things that makes Fishkill so special is that while Josh and Hannah, the farm's proprietors, care deeply about utilizing the farm for educational opportunities, it is a working farm first and foremost. The sheep are livestock. They don't respond to people like they might if they were at a petting zoo--or even at a farm geared primarily toward visits from the public. The gardens and orchards aren't completely pristine spaces. The greenhouse is surrounded by farm tools. It's a REAL farm. And Kids Unplugged is grateful for the opportunity to be there.

Our morning finished with cinnamon-sugar donuts and a story on the sunny hill above the orchards. After passing around the donuts I sat down and looked at the kids. "So, what was your favorite part about today." The resounding response? Everything!

Many thanks to my dear friend Julia Reimer for her expertise and gentle guidance with our felting project today. I've never seen such a lovely bunch of felted eggs! And a second thank you to Haven Colgate, director of the Hillside Nature Guides Program in Hastings, for the fantastic photos!

Scaling the Trees at Halsey Pond

2010-03-19T23:14:00.000-04:00

This morning, after many months of attempts, Kids Unplugged teamed up with the Rivertown Playgroup for a hike for the small ones at Halsey Pond. Halsey Pond is usually a great choice for a hike with little kids. Though the lead-in trail is a bit steep from the Hamilton Road trail head where we usually park, it brings you out to a flat, gravel path which circles the pond and offers great views of the Beltzhoover Teahouse the whole way around. Those views help motivate short legs as well, because heading counter-clockwise around the loop leaves the "castle" for the end of the hike and all of the kids want to make it to the castle.

Today, however, because of the series of wild storms we've had recently (mentioned in other recent posts) there were again a crazy number of downed trees lying across the lead-in trail. Big trees, too, and the toddlers really had to work to negotiate over the fallen trunks and under and around the tangle of branches that blocked their way up the hill.

I'm not used to hiking with a group of toddlers, and while I have a little one of my own and have been through the toddler phase three times, I forget (they say you do and I never believed it) how challenging it can be for them to maneuver their small limbs. They took the job of ducking beneath branches very seriously, determination on their little, knitted brows as they stooped low so as not to smack their noggins. A couple of them got a little teary as they were passed over the storm detritus from one grown-up to another. But climb the hill they did and they were rewarded with the gentle pond loop replete with good, squishy mud puddles in which to splooge and plenty of sticks to snap for pint-sized walking sticks.

There were plenty of diversions of the nature-sort along the Halsey loop--ducks and geese in the pond, buttercups blooming along the shore, a little fountain spilling water on the path for small hands to cup and catch, robins to spot, and dirt to scrape and scratch with a stick. It was great for my smallest one to be among her cohorts, freed from the backpack where she often goes when she can't keep up with the bigger kids on Wacky Wednesdays. And the teahouse served the purpose it usually does on our hikes, fantasy play for the kids and chat time for the parents. We basked in the sun as they ran in and out of the little gothic space before it was time to head back down the trail and home for the naps that were sure to follow.

Arin and I deemed it a rousing success and hope to make these Friday hikes a regular occurrence, so please be sure to check the calendar for updates. Looking forward to seeing all of you again soon!

Wacky Wednesday Woodfrogs--Take 2!

2010-03-17T00:13:00.014-04:00

Last year, on March 18th, Kids Unplugged had a Wacky Wednesday at Greenburgh Nature Center and hiked down to Woodfrog Pond. As we neared the pond through the woods we could hear the woodfrogs, their loud croaking reverberating around the little woodland-wetland setting. Today's hike was along the Eagle Hill Trail in Rockefeller State Park and at the beginning of the trail there is a lovely little bridge that crosses over a wetlands area and the Pocantico River--a wetlands area that seemed to be a happy habitat for local woodfrogs!

Having been walloped by yet another storm the previous weekend--this time with a barrage of rain and mighty winds--our area has again suffered some pretty devastating tree damage, and the park did not escape unscathed. The access path to Thirteen Bridges and Eagle Hill Loop was blocked in several spots by downed trees and branches and a loud, repetetive, cha-chugga, cha-chugga, cha-chugga sound off in the distance lead me to think that there was actually tree work being done within the park. As I was helping one of the smaller ones to untangle herself from a web of fallen branches my older daughter ran back down the path toward me and said, eyes wide, "Mama, it's FROGS making that noise!" I looked at her in disbelief because the noise really sounded like machinery, that's how loud it was. Another mom and her older son were approaching us on their way out and she said, "they're mating like crazy--there are tons of them in the pond--you'll see them as you go by."

Sure enough, as we came upon the wetlands area there they were--croaking loudly and splishing about in their frantic attempts to procreate. At first they were difficult to spot, so camoflaged were they in the water, but when you concentrated for a few seconds suddenly you could see that they were everywhere. Anyplace there was a bit of movement in the water it was a frog or two or six all intertwined together tumbling around in an aquatic orgy. It was true showing of the primal, natural spring world. And the kids commentary was so innocent and delightful. "Hey, that one's climbing on top of that other one." "Look, over here there are a whole bunch of them climbing on the other one. "I think that one's the girl." "Why the heck are they all piling up together?" It was very funny and endearing.

As soon as I got home I looked up last year's woodfrog hike and realized that the two hikes were only a day apart. It really made me wonder, yet again, about the way this incredible world of nature works. How do the frogs know? They don't look at the calendar. I wondered if they would be splishing and croaking and mating all week or if the ritual was more shorted lived. I wondered how long it had been since they'd woken from their winter deep-freeze, if the bout of warm weather mattered, if they returned to the same pond to mate each year. I know that animals like salamanders and spring peepers tend to return to the same vernal pond where they came into the world to lay their own eggs. Was it the same for these woodfrogs. Lots to wonder about and lots of answers to find.

After lure of the frogs had passed (it would be renewed on our way back out) we headed up the hill toward the Eagle Hill Summit. From that point on the kids fell into their comfortable trail habits--a bit of bushwhacking here, a good walking stick to pick up there, a satisfying boulder configuration to climb her--before taking a break for goldfish and pretzels and water and granola bars in the grassy area at the top. It was a bright clear St. Patrick's day afternoon (note all the kids in their green shirts from school that day!) and everyone enjoyed the views of the Kykuit Estate and the Tappan Zee in the distance.

While we were relaxing in the breeze, one little guy who was joining us for his first Wacky Wednesday came up to me and said, "Gina, I like this camp. I want my mom to sign me up."

If that's not a solid testimonial, I don't know what is.

Debbie Allan's Slideshow (please note the exceptionally cool frog photo!):

Kids Unplugged at the Warner Library

2010-03-03T00:43:00.004-05:00

There's a new photography exhibit in the neighborhood! We are thrilled to announce that throughout the of March, Debbie Allan is presenting a photographic journey through the seasons with Kids Unplugged in the Children's Room at the Warner Library. The show features scenes from Kids Unplugged's first year of adventures as captured by Debbie's skilled and artistic eye.

The Warner Library's Children's Room is a wonderful place to visit, especially on a cold, damp, March afternoon. Snuggle up with some books and check out the exhibit! For more information about the library's programming visit http://www.warnerlibrary.org/kids

Thanks Debbie!

The Storm of Storms!

2010-03-02T21:05:00.003-05:00

Last week's snowstorm left us buried under a bit more than two-feet of snow, with no power and lots and lots of local tree damage. In light of this, and for the sake of safety, we're going to hold off on our events for the next week or so until things are a bit more stable around here. The trails in most parks remain heavy with snow and subsequently difficult for short legs to negotiate. Add to that the broken limbs which continue to hang precariously overhead and I think it's best to stay out of the woods for a while longer. We can't even let our girls out in the backyard or driveway because of all the branches that have yet to come down.

Hoping that all of you weathered the storm relatively uneventfully!

Please check back here later in the week for updates and the new spring calendar.

Looking forward to those first bits of green!

George's Island Eagle Hike

2010-02-06T22:02:00.015-05:00

Yet another blustery, winter morning in the outdoors for Kids Unplugged today on George's Island. This park has special significance for us as it was the site of one of our earliest hikes last winter. This year, we visited during Teatown Lake Reservation's annual EagleFest and some of the folks from the Saw Mill River Audubon were on hand with scopes and other viewing apparati to assist us in spotting eagles soaring above the river and roosting in the trees along its shore.

There are varying perspectives from biologists about whether or not to call eagles "migratory." Eagles tend to travel southward from their home breeding grounds in Canada when those habitats become less hospitable during the late fall and early winter, however, depending on the severity of the winter the birds don't follow the same routes year after year. There are several places in New York that are significant over-wintering areas for eagles--the St. Lawrence River, Lake Champlain, and the Hudson River--making those areas prime for observing these incredible raptors.

We were very fortunate on this cold February morning as the eagles were in abundance around George's Island today. An impressive bunch of families arrived for today's event, bundled up and enthusiastic. We started out along the shore with the Audubon folks catching glimpses of the eagles perched in nearby trees before having a hot cocoa in the Teatown tent and heading out on one of the park's trails. The white blazed trail took us through the snowy woods and while we couldn't see any eagles along the trail, there were plenty of diversions--ice for thwacking and sliding, animal tracks to ponder, sticks to gather, and boulders to climb.

Because the trail was not a loop, we hiked in for a while before turning around to leave some time to head down to one of the Hudson's little beaches to look for the sea glass found so and do some more eagle spotting. We scooted down a little ravine to the beach and while there was a shortage of sea glass the small inlet was covered with thick swaths of ice that had accumulated on the shore. The kids spent the time trying to break up the sheets with rocks, throwing broken pieces into the water, and collecting oyster shells. The parents joined in the fun too, and I watched as one dad hoisted a large sheet of ice and tossed it into the river with a crash.

All this time, the eagles soared above the river, the wind blew in gusts across the icy water, and the everyone had a great time. And a second visit to the cocoa tent at the end didn't hurt either!

Okay, So it Was REALLY, REALLY Cold!

2010-01-30T22:59:00.006-05:00

Whoa. Can you say 12-degrees? Remember those days when the snot would freeze inside your nostrils when you breathed in through your nose? There's a nice physical image for you. That's what it was like out there this afternoon, for our first anniversary shindig at Ridge Road Park. In light of this, the first thing that absolutely must be said without further ado is THANK YOU! to all of you brave souls and your wonderful children who rallied today to come out and celebrate with us. For the sake of posterity, the first anniversary celebration just had to fall on our official first anniversary, however, for the sake of our communal health and sanity, all further anniversary celebrations will be held on the 6-month mark of Kids Unplugged's anniversary, subsequently allowing us to have future parties in lovely June.

My very devoted husband headed outside this morning at 8 o'clock (the temperature was a balmy 8-degrees at that point) to start gathering and chopping firewood, loading his car with charcoal and digging out our camp stove. At 10 a.m. he and a friend, a fellow Kids Unplugged enthusiast with his own wheelbarrow-ful of wood and camping gear to tote, headed to the park to light grills and make the fires before the festivities were to begin at 11 a.m.

As my mother-in-law likes to say, "no good deed goes unpunished" and my absence at 10:30 soon alerted them to the fact that they had started a gorgeous, roaring fire at the wrong picnic pavilion. Thankfully, for everyone's sake, it was their discovery and not mine and they quickly broke down camp and relocated to the correct pavilion to start firing things up a second time. They soon had several fires going around the octagonal fireplace in the center of the enormous pavilion where we'd set up a circle of picnic tables laden with bagels, s'more-making goodies, Coffee Labs coffee, and camp-style hot chocolate.

Parents soon began arriving with their bundled broods. Shortly after 11:00, when the cries of "my hands are cold" became a bit too much to bear, it was time to for a hike to get warmed-up and find some marshmallow-roasting sticks. The trail here is unblazed, however it is lined on either side by a low fence/wall of woven sticks that I believe was a scout project of past. It's a very pretty and natural addition to the trail and obviously a great deal of work went into its making. The kids speculated on the number of hours it took as we walked--8? 1,000? We made it a good way down the trail and our bodies did start to thaw a tiny bit from the walk before we decided to head back to the pavilion for the cocoa that would hopefully be hot upon our return. A few more ambitious members of the group decided to forge ahead to see if the trail was a loop. A good time later they approached the pavilion having hiked to another picnic area located on the opposite side of the park. Needless to say, they were ready for something hot when they got back!

The rest of the time was spent huddling around the fires, eating s'mores and hot dogs and, eventually, semi-frozen Kids Unlugged birthday cake. My husband started a hip-hooray for the success of Kids Unplugged's first year and concluded by saying, "So thanks to Gina for dragging us all out here today when we could be snuggling up in front of the warmth of our flat screen TVs." Hardy, har, har.

When we got home, our girls spent the entire afternoon in the living room, fire blazing in the fireplace, buried among the quilts and blankets they used to make tents on the sofa and chairs while I popped them big bowls of popcorn and didn't give them a hard time about getting it all over the rug. I think they earned it.

Next time--June. I promise.

Fishing for Ice in Swan Lake

2010-01-27T21:49:00.007-05:00

January has definitely been the month of ice! If you look back through our recent adventures you'll see ice-play in all of its various incarnations. Kids have spent a good deal of time sliding on, chopping at, spinning on, tossing, cracking, skating on, poking at, fishing for, stomping on, and smashing--the ice. Frozen puddles, bits of icy brook, thickly covered ponds and lakes--each variation has had its own appeal. But I think that the most fun to be had has come from simply thwacking away at it with a stick. There's something very satisfying about finding a good, strong stick, one that doesn't break with it's initial sharp contact with an unyielding, frozen surface, just going to town trying to get through to whatever water might lie below.

I can remember doing this as a kid, poking through the thin sheath of ice on a puddle to the street below at the bus stop or breaking through the icy edge of the frozen swamp in the backyard woods and using the stick like a crowbar to hoist broken sheets from the murky water and then hacking away at the retrieved pieces with rocks and sticks to break them further. The ice was fascinating. Clearly it still is.

Our hike today at Swan Lake lent itself perfectly to this favorite winter past time. As we've been hanging on to the light a bit longer these days, I figured we'd have no problem getting all the way around the lake before the sun began to set. What I didn't plan on, though I don't know why, was the magnetic pull of the ice. So while we made good tracks on the beginning of the trail as we headed clockwise around the lake toward the stepping stone bridge, we didn't get too much farther than that. The lake's frozen edge beckoned. The bridge begged to be crossed and then crossed again, and again. Fallen branches were collected and the thwacking commenced. A great team effort ensued to pull a large sheet of ice to the shore, which was nearly successful--parents were treated to a chorus of groans and shrieks when it slipped out of hands to crash onto the ground below.

A couple of our families had forged ahead and we spotted them across the lake when we decided to take a cue from the waning afternoon light and begin our hike back. Racing them back to the trail kiosk was the only way to pull the kids away from their icy endeavors.

With several more weeks of winter ahead, I imagine the ice-adventures are going to continue!

Kids Unplugged First Anniversary Celebration & Fundraiser

2010-01-24T21:24:00.014-05:00

Kids Unplugged is Turning One!

Join us as we celebrate our first year's success!

Saturday, January 30th
11:00 a.m.

Ridge Road Park, Hartsdale
Octagonal Picnic Pavilion
(with a big, cozy, fireplace!)
(click here for details & directions)

*Hiking & Exploration Kids Unplugged Style*
*Make Your Own S'mores*
*Yummy Hot Cocoa*
&
*Birthday Cake*

Suggested Donation
$10/family for members
$15/family for non-members

B.Y.O. picnic lunch & hot dogs for the grills and water. All of the above treats will be provided by us.

Looking forward to seeing everyone then!

Please dress for the cold weather--boots, snowpants, warm mittens and hats are best!

A Hike for Haiti at Rockwood Hall

2010-01-23T21:44:00.009-05:00

As we all know, Haiti was struck by a severe, 7.0 magnitude earthquake which struck approximately 25-miles outside of the capital city of Port-au-Prince on January 12, 2010. The subsequent devastation the people of Haiti are suffering is emotionally overwhelming for all of us watching on the news and wanting to do whatever we can to help. In this spirit, Kids Unplugged sponsored a Hike for Haiti this morning at Rockwood Hall in Rockefeller State Park. We raised close to $200 which will be donated to UNICEF for their recovery efforts in Haiti. Below are some photographs of the morning's hike. Many, many thanks to all of you who participated today!

East Irvington Bushwhacking

2010-01-20T21:32:00.005-05:00

We returned today for Wacky Wednesday to one of our favorite local spots--the East Irvington Nature Preserve. Jane & Walt Daniels, in their incredible book Walkable Westchester, list the preserve under their section of "tiny treasures," and that is indeed what it is.

The preserve is split into two areas for walking, a wide dirt road that leads straight uphill from the initial access trail to a water tower and the Wecquaesgeek Trail that abuts the road in a semi-circle. Hiking along the dirt road you can enter the Wecquaesgeek Trail early on and exit it back at the road near the water tower. You can also hike up to the water tower and take the Wecquaesgeek back down, which is what we did.

The kids spent a lot of time today bushwhacking off trail. It seems to me that more and more of that is starting to happen, especially among the kids who have been joining us for a while. Our earlier hikes were spent covering more ground with the actual hiking, but now it seems there is a lot more off-trail exploration happening. Today, a couple of fallen trees were one of the big draws, and the kids spent a bit of time climbing and balancing on the trunks and branches. What fun to climb a tree that is horizontal! You get to explore limbs and areas of the tree that would be completely inaccessible if it were in its traditional upright posture. Other draws were, of course, the huge boulders bordering the trail in the woods, stick collecting, dirt drawing, mud digging and general rumpus.

The kids love the destination of the water tower and the mystery that surrounds it like the chain-link fence that is actually there. I love to listen to their speculations. Can people get in? Do they climb it? Is that what that ladder is for? What if they fell in when they got to the top? Is there a door? How do they get the water out? Is there water inside? How do they get over the fence? The questions go round and round.

I use the lure of the Wecquaesgeek Trail to lure them away from the water tower. Several kids run along ahead while being reminded that they need to be in the sight-line of their grown ups, and hit the trail pointing at the faded brown blaze-markers they see affixed to trees. They feel confident following the blazed trails. There is a mountain to climb, a large, icy puddle to explore, stumps to sit upon, sticks to break and whack and wield.

We're losing light and we need to move the group up on the "mountain" back down to the trail and along toward our cars and homework and dinner. As the kids load in, shedding boots, clicking seat belts, one mom calls out to me quoting her son, "That was the funnest Kids Unplugged yet!" Cool.

Shelter Building at Teatown

2010-01-16T20:56:00.004-05:00

Teatown Lake Reservation in Ossining is an 834-acre preserve featuring 15-miles of trails running through a variety of habitats from forests to wetlands, a nature center which is home to numerous live animal exhibits (both indoor and outdoor), and an educational facility which offers myriad fantastic programs for children and adults alike. Teatown's educators work with school groups, summer campers, weekend naturalists, scout troops and environmental stewards to further their mission to, in a nutshell, conserve open space and sustain the diversity of wildlife, plants and habitats for future generations. It is an incredible place to learn and explore and have fun on the trails and we spent this past Saturday morning doing just that.

The initial plan was to hike around Teatown Lake on the Lakeside Trail, a 1.5 mile loop around Teatown Lake. It's an easy trail for families, with a level grade and pretty scenery, and at only 1.5 miles it was definitely attainable for a morning hike. The trail-side diversions, however, were plentiful, and it soon became apparent that it was more important to go with the adventures provided by those diversions than to stick with the plan for making it around the lake!
The first stop was the boathouse which offered the kids nice access to the ice-covered lake from its cement foundation. There is also a series of railroad-tie stairs leading off the trail into the woods where there are fallen trees and boulders for climbing and exploring. The biggest sticks were collected and brought lake-side to chop at the ice and to use to try to fish out the chunks of ice they managed to break off. Limbs that jutted out into the lake provided even better access a bit further out along the ice. Parents chatted in the warm January sun, the mild 40-degree day a welcome reprieve after several weeks in the low 20s, drinking coffee and watching as the kids did their thing. After a while we encouraged them to head along the trail, their groans of protest over having to leave the boathouse quieted by the promise of the upcoming waterfall and brook.

It was this location where their play really began to flourish and I realized that we probably wouldn't make it any further around the lake. Upon reaching the waterfall the older kids made a beeline down the Northwest Trail which runs parallel to Bailey Brook in a beautiful wooded area. A natural bridge of logs and rocks traversed the brook between the trail and a glorious tree with a cave-like hollow in its trunk. The kids were quickly drawn into this magical setting and went to work gathering sticks from the forest floor and building a "house" by the cave in the tree. They worked together collecting the sticks and passing them to one another across the bridge. The helped each other to cross the brook, the older kids showing the younger ones where to step while parents helped the smallest ones to find their way. Instructions were being called out about which kinds of sticks were needed and where they were to go as the shelter began to take form. Some of the children spent lot of time simply going back and forth across the brook, both with and without the assistance of the grown ups, while others were diligently working on the shelter. Several kids brought their lunches across to eat with pride upon the table-of-sticks they constructed inside their house.

For the most part, the parents sat along the bank of the brook near the trail watching as the kids' adventure unfolded. We talked about the fact that many of us spent our childhoods playing like the kids were today. In those days, however, we were out in our own woods, without parental supervision, building forts, mucking about in streams, finding our own brand of unplugged fun. The kids engaged in this morning's play intrinsically, the natural environment offering the canvas on which their play took shape while they imagined and created and lost themselves in their world of fantasy.

For a while longer we ate our clementines and tossed rocks into the waterfall and watched the ducks swim along the brook as the kids played on this sunny afternoon. And then we headed back down the trail to continue with our Saturdays, wondering what adventures we'd find next time. Until then...

Winter Wednesday Along the Pocantico River

2010-01-13T22:24:00.020-05:00

Today's Wacky Wednesday Walk was spent along the Pocantico River Trail in the Rockefeller Preserve--only the very beginning of the Pocantico River Trail, however, because the kids were so busy playing and imagining that we just didn't make it down the trail at all! At one point I said to some of the other grown-ups present that we were going to have to have a Kids Unplugged adults-only hike sometime so that we could actually make some tracks! I was partly being facetious, firstly because the kids have really become fantastic hikers and secondly because what happened today is what I always envision happening--parents hanging back as the kids' play just evolves on its own and we may as well not even be there at all (except perhaps to keep someone from splooging into the icy water!). Our youngest member was our farthest hiker today and at 2 1/2 years old he lead his Mom around the trail the entire time in search of the helicopter that flew overhead when we first arrived!

It was cold this afternoon again, 29-degrees when I pulled up to the trail, and everyone arrived suitably bundled. The kids headed straight to the little creek near the trail head, though the bank there is pretty steep and the snow made it a bit dicey. We redirected their attention to the little beach-like spot of shore along the Pocantico (which is a small, but swiftly moving river along the trail) where they could play freely.

Along this section of the trail there is a small meadow between the little shore-area, a huge, old tree with an enormous cave-like opening in its trunk, and a big stone bridge which crosses the river. The kids' play centered upon this area and they moved around in little packs. Some playing tag with an enthusiastic Mama for a while, some holing up inside or barring the entry to the cave in the tree, others working diligently to build a "dam" in the river along the shore.

After a long while, the dam-builders won out and the rest of the crew was drawn into their activity. Kids were moving around ant-like, gathering and breaking sticks and old reeds to add to the growing structure on the river's edge.

Amidst moans and groans of "but we're not finished yet," and "I don't want to go!" the grown-ups announced that our non-hiking toes were frozen in our boots and it was time to start heading for home. The kids carefully laid down their final additions to the structure and, grabbing a saltine from a generous Mama, bounded back up the trail.

Same time next week!

The Tarrytown Lakes are Open!

2010-01-11T16:04:00.003-05:00

Just a quick announcement to let folks know that the Tarrytown Lakes opened this afternoon at 4pm for skating. The skating schedule is as follows:

Monday - Thursday 1 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Friday 1 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Can't wait to get out there!

An Icy Halsey Pond

2010-01-06T11:06:00.000-05:00

After our month(or so)-long holiday hiatus, Kids Unplugged was back on the trails today with a Wacky Wednesday Walk at one of our favorite venues, Halsey Pond in Irvington. With a high of about 31-degrees today, I was pleased to see a nice bunch of families at the trail head, bundled up and rearing to go.

The big draw today was the ice that was everywhere. Covering the pond and spilling over the path in spots like miniature rinks, the kids were in their glory digging, poking, and whacking away at it with sticks. Watching them it seemed to me such an instinctual behavior, taking up a stick and trying to poke one's way through an icy surface. I can remember doing that as a kid, wanting to see if I could get through, trying to guess the depth of whatever surface I was digging at. The girls and boys each seemed to have their own approaches to the ice, and though it irks me to play into typical gender-related play stereotypes, their approaches were decidedly different. While the girls spent the bulk of their time lying on their stomachs, leaning out a bit over the pond from the shore a looking for vulnerable spots to poke their sticks through, the boys favored a more commando-like style, lifting large sticks over their heads and bringing them down forcefully in attempts to break through. All of them, however, enjoyed sitting along the shoreline and thwacking away at the ice with their boot heels!

They were also all equally enthralled with spinning and sliding on the large ice-puddles we found along the path and most of them, boys and girls alike, toted large sticks for the duration of the hike. There were continual forays off the path toward the edge of the pond for more digging and poking and there were continual reminders from the grown-ups on hand not to lean to far over the ice and to keep their bottoms on the shore.

In this vein there was also a lot of talk about ice-safety, why you should never, ever try to walk on a frozen pond or lake unless you are with an adult who is very familiar with reading the ice. We talked about warm spots in a body of water that may not freeze and why it is difficult to judge whether or not a surface is safe to walk upon. We talked about being careful near the shoreline when there is snow on the ground because you may not realize that you are standing on the pond rather than on the ground when everything is covered with snow.

But mostly we just walked and the kids whacked at the ice and skittered broken pieces of ice and small sticks across the pond's surface. We listened to the quiet of the afternoon and listened to that echo-y blub-blub sound of the water bubbling up below the ice. And then we hiked down the trail with the setting sun.

Warmest Holiday Wishes!

2009-12-06T21:34:00.003-05:00

Hello to Everyone,

Just a brief announcement that Kids Unplugged will be taking a brief Holiday Hiatus for the next few weeks. We'll be back in action with our Hike, Don't Hibernate! program beginning in January 2010 and look forward to seeing you all, bundled and booted, on the trails then.

In the meanwhile, from the Kids Unplugged family to yours, our warmest wishes for a joyful holiday season and a peaceful and healthy 2010!

Kind Regards,
Gina

Glimmer Lantern Glimmer--Autumn on the Farm

2009-11-14T21:41:00.010-05:00

Today was the last of our Saturdays on the Farm at Fishkill Farms until spring and we spent this soggy morning honoring the waning light of late autumn. Everyone began arriving on the terrace just as our cozy fire was getting going (with thanks to the Reimer gentlemen!) and we gathered around the fireplace to warm up a
bit before the day's hike.

In the spirit of Martinmas, a festival that honors St. Martin of Tours a Roman soldier who cut his cloak into two share with a beggar one freezing night, many folks brought along an old coat or something else warm to be donated for the coming months of cold. Martinmas is also associated with light and the festival serves as a way to remind ourselves, as the daylight hours grow shorter, that the light will begin to return with the winter solstice. Such a message was truly made clear on the farm today as the dormant fields and orchards clearly showed us how important the return of the sun's light and warmth really is.

The skies remained dry for a while, allowing us to venture out for a good hike through the orchard and along an old tractor trail through the woods and meadow beyond. Thanks to the morning's rain, (and the rain pants and boots they were wearing!) the highlight of the day was some solid puddle stomping along the orchard road. The kids followed a little rain stream down the hill to a series of nice, muddy puddles where they had a good splash before continuing along. They collected some autumn leaves to use to decorate the lanterns they would be making later and searched for the milkweed pods which sent little seed parachutes through the air only a few weeks before. And hey tromped through an old section of orchard stomping on the over-ripe apples discarded by the trees as they prepared for the winter ahead.

We returned to the terrace, a little bit soaked and took a break for some dry clothes, hanging damp socks near the fire to dry, before settling in to hear the tale of St. Martin and create our paper mache lanterns. After choosing a clean jar wired with a long handle, the children painted fiery, autumn tissue onto their lanterns' surfaces, layering colors and various leaves until they were, mostly, completely covered. Our work was accompanied by singing a lovely little lantern song whose few words the kids learned quickly. As each child finished, they were given tiny tea lights to place inside their lanterns, and we lit each one as we celebrated the close of the season with hot, cinnamon-y apple cider and warm, sugary donuts.

Wacky Wednesday Field Trip--November Ponding at Westmoreland Sanctuary

2009-11-11T21:40:00.011-05:00

Hooray for days off!

This morning we had over 20-families join us for our hike and picnic at the fantastic Westmoreland Sanctuary in Bedford Corners. We were treated to a dry day and relatively mild November temperatures in the mid-50s for today's outing, and though I know that the comfortable weather is a good motivator for folks to get outdoors, I'm also going to chalk the crowd up to the growing enthusiasm for Kids Unplugged's adventures! Thanks to all of you who joined us today, who brought friends along and who made it out for the first time.

When our group was finally assembled, gear gathered and Kids Unplugged trail protocols announced, we set off down the hill on the Easy Loop Trail to Betchel Lake. Along the way we searched for signs of animals getting ready to batten down for the coming winter months. Cozy burrows and scatterings of seed husks were indicators that the Sanctuary's critters had been busy with their seasonal preparations.

The downhill stretch of trail brought with it some good momentum and the kids made it to the shore of the lake in record time. They're really getting to be seasoned hikers and I think I'll be able to choose some longer trails this coming spring! To everyone's delight, the ponding nets were resting against the shed alongside several buckets and pans for viewing the animals we might retrieve from the water. Being November and considering that the weather had been fairly chilly the previous week, I didn't expect the kids to find much. What a surprise for everyone when tadpoles, minnows, snails and one honking-big crayfish were pulled from the lake. The kids shared buckets, carefully emptying their catch into the vessels while calling to one another gleefully with every new discovery. We spent a good amount of time at the lake and some kids roamed while others worked with the nets. They happened upon the beginnings of a lean-to shelter of branches and some of them began adding to its construction.

When hungry stomachs began to rumble, we released the critters back into the shelter of the lake before heading back up trail for a picnic lunch and a visit to the Sanctuary's fantastic nature museum. I'm not sure which feature of the museum was the biggest hit for the kids. The live animals on exhibit on the first floor were definitely a big draw, but the incredible assortment of stuffed birds and mammals upstairs are equally captivating. We probably spend close to an hour exploring the museum after lunch and then another bit of time visiting with the chickens on site before heading home.

Steve and Adam, the Sancturary's director and naturalist, were wonderful hosts as always. Westmoreland is a favorite Kids Unplugged venture and we're sure to return soon!

Rocks and Logs and Slides, Oh My! An Afternoon at Neperan Park

2009-11-04T23:04:00.018-05:00

There's a new playground in town, but it isn't what you might imagine. Tarrytown, New York, with the help of the Natural Playgrounds Company in Concord, New Hampshire, has begun the first phase of constructing a natural play space in the town's Neperan Park.

Unlike traditional play structures, the new playground is built with a child's natural sense of free-spirited adventure in mind. Conventional apparati like monkey bars and free-standing swings are replaced by rock scrambles, nature paths, and log balance-beams. Children are intrinsically inclined toward unstructured, open-ended play and exploration. Typical playgrounds offer kids the opportunity to challenge their gross-motor skills but do little to encourage imaginative play or to nurture their social or emotional connections to one another. A natural playground offers children numerous options to create their own adventures. Because the structures are incorporated into the park's existing landscape their play is always new.

Our first visit to Neperan Park's new playground was a resounding success. After a short hike down the Old Croton Aqueduct trail ending at the park, the kids headed straight to the wooded area on the park's periphery where the first structures had been installed. A steep slide built right into the hill was the first order of business for many kids. And while the fast ride down was definitely a thrill, having to negotiate a series of well-placed boulder steps up to the slide's entrance was equally captivating. The kids swarmed the hill, attempting to scale their way to the top from myriad angles. Several of those attempts ended, much to their delight, with a hearty down-hill slide in the dirt.

A log, climbing structure also had it's appeal, and being a bit lower to the ground, the younger kids flocked to this area. Kids sat and talked on the logs. They scurried beneath them. They climbed up and walked along their lengths, testing their balance. They hung and dangled and jumped. The logs became a house, a train, a horse, a tunnel. See if all that happens with some monkey bars.

Climbing up another group of rock steps, the kids made their way up to a woodland path that wends it's way through the trees to a series of platforms called the "lookout tower." Kids immediately adopted the structure as a fortress as well as their roles within that great fortress, creating passwords for entry, keeping enemies at bay, looking out for dangers lurking below. They ran up and down the boardwalk, hopping from level to level, hiding out in their new-found clubhouse.

And so it went, kids climbing and running and jumping and sliding. Kids imagining. Kids getting filthy. Kids deep in their play.

When the light started to wane on this, the first Wacky Wednesday since the end of daylight saving time, parents began gathering their tired, dirty brood to head back down the trail for dinner. It was almost like our childhood days in those backyard woods. Almost.

The Horseman Rides Again! A Halloween Wacky Wednesday

2009-10-29T21:30:00.005-04:00

In honor of, and playing into of course, our famous Halloween locale, today's hike took place in the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in search of some hidden letterboxes. For those of you who have never heard of letterboxing, it is definitely worth exploring. It is the unplugged version of geocaching, a game which involves searching for hidden containers called 'geocaches' with the aid of a hand-held GPS device. Although their is a small plugged component of letterboxing in that one must visit the official letterboxing website http://letterboxing.org/ to search for exisiting letterboxes and obtain the clues to find them, the majority of the activity is about creativity, imagination, teamwork, outdoor adventure, resourcefulness, appreciation and care for the natural world, and connection to other human beings.

Today's hike was Kids Unplugged's first foray into the world of letterboxing and judging from the enthusiasm of the kids it is an activity we will certainly be revisiting soon. We started out sitting in a circle on the lawn of the Old Dutch Church in Sleepy Hollow. The church has it's own burial ground, one in which Washington Irving, the man of the famous Legend, is laid to rest. In our circle we talked a little bit about the legend of the Headless Horseman and I explained about letterboxing and what we were going to be doing on the hike. We read the mysterious clues together and then set out along the path in search of the wood-planked bridge which may have been the one Ichabod Crane sought to cross on he and Gunpowder's fateful ride.

Today's Wacky Wednesday actually took place on Thursday this time, as Wednesday was a washout. Happily, postponing by a day gave us a beautiful autumn afternoon for our foray into the cemetery's beautiful grounds and the foliage and views along Gory Brook were gorgeous. We did encourage the kids to keep their voices a bit lower than normal, but hills to climb, headstones to hide behind and rocks to toss into the brook below continued to draw from them shrieks of glee. What can you do?

There was a great deal of excitement upon reaching the old bridge, and after referring to our clues the kids began counting out the 30-paces mentioned in the narrative. This opened up a conversation about the difference between steps and paces because they all stopped at various points along the trail having reached their personal 30! When it was determined where the average of 30-paces was, they began searching in earnest for the pile of rocks which should have been 5-paces off the trail to the left. And while at first it seemed that the box might have been removed by a letterboxing foe, our group remained undaunted and continued their hunt. A shout from among wet leaves indicated success, and a damp, humus covered plastic box was brought up to the trail for all to see.

After examining the contents, looking through the stamp journal and leaving our own mark, we found a spot to sit for Halloween cookies and a theatrical reading of The Tale of the Headless Horseman, a wonderfully accessible adaptatation of Irving's Legend. And though the second box did appear to be missing, we were able to find the third letterbox hidden within a stone wall on our hike back out of the cemetery.

I joked today that I have been thinking about this hike for months and I was so delighted that we were actually doing it--and with such success. The scenery was beautiful and the activity great fun. The perfect Wacky Wednesday to celebrate the spookiness of Halloween in Sleepy Hollow.

Pumpkins & Scarecrows--Halloween with the Garden Sprouts

2009-10-27T21:29:00.019-04:00

Today, rainy as it was, marked our last meeting of the autumn Garden Sprouts program at Fishkill Farms. While there was a part of me that thought about staying cozy in the house today when I looked out the window at the thick clouds and cold drizzle, but I took heed instead of my own mantra--There's no bad weather, just the wrong clothes--and bundled up for a soggy morning on the farm. It turned out to be a lovely time, and the rain did let up long enough to allow us a nice walk to visit the chickens and explore the garden for a while.

We started our day with a baking activity, as we have each week, preparing the snack we would later share. Today, to celebrate our time together these past weeks, we baked a pumpkin pie. It was a treat we would enjoy later, warm from the oven, after our garden walk and outdoor crafting.

When the pie was in the oven and everyone was snuggled in boots, hats and raincoats, we headed out in search of the farm's "scarecrows," really just large, inflatable balls with lots of eyes to watch those pesky crows. The children took a great deal of delight in sneaking through the muddy rows of blueberry bushes in search of the balls and shouts of "I see another one!" rang through the field. We saw the remainder of the farm's summer sunflower patch, finding the petal-less brown centers picked clean of their seeds. We sought out other signs of autumn on the farm, old corn stalks, dormant berry bushes, and cozy burrows hidden in the garden. We talked about who might live in those burrows, what they might eat and why they might need to hide underground. We also found a few late season strawberries in the strawberry patch that was well-blanketed with hay to protect them from the coming frost.

With their little pumps primed for a good scarecrow story, we headed back to the farm store to read one of my Halloween favorites, Jeb Scarecrow's Pumpkin Patch by Jana Dillon, about a young scarecrow working to protect his prized patch from the crow's annual harvest celebration. After the story, the kids made their own scarecrow puppets and learned a few Halloween songs and rhymes. And then it was time for pie.

We really had a wonderful time of crafting, baking, storytelling, exploring, and playing on the farm these past weeks. I hope that many new (and returning!) families will join us for our next series of the Garden Sprouts!

Running Free at Untermeyer

2009-10-21T23:07:00.010-04:00

Recently I was re-reading that wonderful book From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler when I came across the description of the bed that the kids sleep in while they're hiding out in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. According to Mrs. Frankweiler, the bed was donated to the museum by Untermeyer. Whether or not this is true I'm not sure, but considering the opulence of the Grecian gardens at the historic estate site in Yonkers, an antique curtained bed is easily believed. And I was delighted that I knew who Untermeyer was when I came to that passage--information that I surely did not have when I read the book nearly 30 years ago (aack).

Untermeyer's glorious gardens were the site of our Wacky Wednesday romp on a perfect October afternoon this week. And though we bypassed the trail leading toward the Old Croton Aqueduct, the grounds and the remaining structures provided us with plenty of diversion.

The gardens are arranged on two tiers, the uppermost tier being home to a huge cross-shaped configuration of canal-like fountains as well as to a truly enormous columned Greek temple. There is also an ampitheater, statues and more columns around the perimeter. The focal point of the lower level is a now-empty, mosaic tiled pool flanked by expansive lawns on either side. It wasn't clear whether the fountains on the upper terrace drained down to the pool, but that seems likely.

On the northern side of the garden is a long stone staircase leading down toward the OCA. I imagine that it is accessible from the trail below, however, the top of the staircase ends at at a gated garden entrance which was locked. The entire garden area sports sweeping views of the Hudson River. We could only imagine it at it's heyday. For our intents and purposes, it was a wonderful space for running, climbing and a long game of tag.

Seeds, Seeds, Seeds!

2009-10-20T22:28:00.012-04:00

Has anyone heard the Native American folktale about the Three Sisters? It's a wonderful story to share during the months of the autumn harvest as it celebrates the important roles played by three essential crops: corn, beans, and squash. Today in the Garden Sprouts we talked about, touched, explored and search for all different kinds of seeds--from those cultivated in the garden to those blowing wildly in the meadow breeze.

The children arrived to find the terrace tables covered in all sorts of interesting things. There were pumpkins and squash of various shapes and sizes. There were acorns and beechnut husks and horse chestnuts both in and out of their prickly
casings. There was colorful Indian corn and bowls of all different kinds of seeds. We started our day talking about all of these different kinds of vegetables and seeds--where they come from, who they feed, and why each is important.

In honor of one of these harvest crops, the day's baking project was to prepare a pan of cornbread for the morning snack. We touched the cornmeal and learned how it was made, mixed in some fresh eggs from the farm and some other ingredients and popped it in the oven before heading out for the day's hike.

Today we would be hunting for seeds. We hiked out along the orchard path to a meadow at the edge of the woods. There the children discovered seeds hiding everywhere they looked. They searched in the tall grasses and unearthed the green cases of fallen black walnuts and sniffed at their strong scent when we cracked them open, revealing tiny white worms. They found plantain weed seeds, and apple seeds and, much to their delight, some pods of fairy-like milkweed seeds that were carried away by the wind. We talked about the way that seeds can travel--on the breeze, by sticking to animals' fur--to find a home and grow someplace else.

We returned to hear the tale of the three sisters and make some fabulous cedar-disk three sisters medallion necklaces. The caregivers took special interest in the craft today and all of the grown ups wanted to make their own bean, corn & squash mosaic jewelery!

After a read-aloud and some songs and rhymes about seeds, squirrels and harvest time, we headed back to the terrace to gobble cornbread and drink some cold cider. Much fun was had by all!

Halloween on the Farm

2009-10-17T23:21:00.027-04:00

Today was the second in our Autumn series of Saturdays on the Farm in Fishkill and we spent the morning in the All Hallow's spirit. In keeping with the ancient Celtic tradition of wearing masks to discourage menacing ghosts from wreaking havoc on their households and next season's crops, the children painted and decorated their own
masks.
We had the very good fortune of dry weather despite the forecasted rain and were able to spend our morning out on the terrace crafting and baking. Those patient rain clouds also enabled us some solid adventure time around the farm grounds. Luckily everyone arrived today properly bundled and ready to be outside, which made for happy kids and parents all around.

After a frolic in the huge hay pile left over from September's hay maze, we hiked down to visit the chickens to collect eggs--always a treat for the kids--to use for my favorite autumn pumpkin muffins. We filled two baskets and spent some gleeful time among the farm's sweet old laying hens.

After some solid hand washing, the kids all took turns pouring and stirring ingredients. Thanks to a delightful mixing song taught to us by one of our little farmers, everyone passed the bowl around the table with the utmost fairness.

When the muffins were in the oven, we headed out to the meadow to read a story about old Baba Yaga the witch. We finished our meadow circle by stirring our brews to the tune of a creepy witch song before returning to the terrace to decorate our mostly-dry masks. With glitter glue and googly eyes (not very natural, but who can resist googly eyes?), beans and feathers, the children adorned their masks with enthusiasm and creativity. The pictures of their work speak for themselves.

We finished our day with a sweet Halloween story and pumpkin muffins, warm from the oven. Thanks to everyone for helping to create such a lovely morning on the farm!

Below is a slideshow showing some of Debbie Allan's photos of the mornings activities.

Columbus Day on Turkey Mountain

2009-10-12T22:06:00.004-04:00

Today's title shot captures one of the things I love the most about Turkey Mountain--letting the kids explore the summit. After a steep, .7 mile climb along the white trail, the summit is a vast expanse of flat rock and scrubby brush that slopes gradually into a series of nooks and crannies that are perfect for hiding out. These three kids found just the spot for that today, nestling themselves into the crevices of the boulders and let their story unfold. When I came upon them they were chatting away about something and I tried not to interfere too much with their play. The mother of one of the kids was not too far up the hill, enough of an eye on them to be comfortable without meddling. There was a lot of that happening up there today, kids marching around, digging with sticks, making their way through the spaces between the trees to their own little spots.

We had more families than usual today because of the holiday which was a good vibe, as well as some folks who joined us for the first time. While it was a little chilly, it wasn't too breezy at the top of the trail and that allowed us to linger with our lunches and adventures a while before heading back down. The overcast skies didn't highlight the autumn colors as much as a sunny day would have done, but the view of the city was still pretty clear. Debbie got some great shots which you can see in her slide show below and the view from up there is fabulous. You really feel like you're up there and the kids really feel like they climbed a mountain which is very cool.

So there was some summit exploring and some caterpillar spotting--though I haven't been able to ID the lime-green, fuzzy critter we encountered today. A log became a ship, walking sticks were found and coveted, oranges were shared. Nice, relaxed hike.

Sunday Stroll at Pepsico

2009-10-11T22:32:00.000-04:00

Here's a place I've been dying to get to for a Wacky Wednesday Walk sometime. Unfortunately, the westbound I-287 rush-hour traffic has been a huge monkey wrench in that plan as no one, myself included, needs to sit in it with hungry kids for 25 minutes or more on a school night!

So I headed over there with my girls this past Sunday afternoon and encourage you all to do the same. It's really quite spectacular. And while the sculptures on the property are obviously the big draw here, I was mostly delighted by their thoughtful placement among a wide variety of thoughtfully planted trees and other specimens. The entire space is beautifully landscaped and arranged and makes for a fun place to romp and stroll at leisure with the kids. The only challenge is keeping them from climbing upon the art!

Rockwood Wind!

2009-10-07T00:03:00.020-04:00

Today we found ourselves at a favorite spot in Rockefeller State Park, the Rockwood Hall area, though the blustery winds which left my yard covered in a thick carpet of pine needles forced us to cut the hike short. Too many loose branches for comfort today.

We did hike in a bit along the lower trail before heading back out and encountered something new--several lovely rocks painted with a single message or image--and place along the trail. I had recently read a piece in our local paper, The Hudson Independent, about a local woman who has started a business hand painting rocks and shells and was wondering if these might be her handiwork. If it wasn't she, I guess that they will remain a special mystery. In any case, I wish we'd had the opportunity to continue along the trail because it would have been a little treasure hunt for the children to come upon more of these along the way.

Though the kids were a bit disappointed by the executive decision to leave the trail today, they made a bit of fun just digging in the gravel along the path and collecting falling leaves and chestnuts. And it did permit me to prolong having to tell them they can't climb the hemlocks!

Debbie's Slideshow:

Hoofin' it to the Schools!

2009-10-05T22:27:00.004-04:00

Join Kids Unplugged this Wednesday, October 7th, as we participate in the International Walk to School sponsored by the National Center for Safe Routes to School.

Gather your friends and your kids' friends, plan your routes, designate meeting times and places (Your child's regular bus route is a good place to start) and walk to the schools. For more information click on either icon and check out their websites.

Here's to hoping it becomes a habit!

Wacky Wednesday Pruyn Adventure

2009-09-30T22:54:00.019-04:00

It has been on my list for months--literally months--to visit the Saw Mill River Audubon's Pruyn Sanctuary. And while the summer season is probably the best time to be there in order to enjoy the full glory of the sanctuary's butterfly garden and habitat, this overcast, late September afternoon was beautiful in it's own way.

The goldenrod was everywhere as was a sure favorite with kids, milkweed, it's overflowing pods just begging to be cracked open sending forth the fairy-like seeds contained within. The sanctuary hosts a variety of ecosystems all within the confines of a rather compact acreage (a bit over 40) making it a wonderful and accessible spot for wildlife viewing and exploration of all sorts.

The beginning of the Pruyn trail takes you past the butterfly garden along a grassy path which features little enclosed off-shoots that were practically surrounded by shoulder-height golden rod and meadow grasses. These tiny enclaves, many of which had a small tree in the center, were perfect spots in which a small person could run, giggling, to hide. As we headed down the trail the kids were instructed to look for the green blazes that would mark the trail we would be following that day through the woods and wetlands of the sanctuary.

Like our recent Saturday on the Farm, today's hike was replete with the discovery of mini-beasts and evidence of all sorts of wildlife from paper wasps to the much loved wooly-bear caterpillar. The one we found today had a particularly wide brown section and I don't know if that old tale is true about the width of a wooly bear's brown fur and the severity of the coming winter, but if it is, we're in for a cold, snowy one!

We also encountered yet another fuzzy creature and this time, after the hickory tussock debacle from last week, the kids looked only with their eyes! So what did my research turn up this time? This one was either an American Dagger Moth or a Spotted Apatelodes. The Dagger Moth has been known be a stinger while the Spotted Apatelodes does not have that designation. In any event, better check these critters out from a distance. My husband is a jazz pianist and years ago he told me about a mantra musicians have about taking a solo during a tune--when in doubt, lay out. I think that just about fits the bill for fuzzy critters, too.

The kids were delighted by the sections of boardwalk which led us through the swamp and enjoyed perching on benches in a
little ampitheater that was built into the path with the challenge to "sit very quietly and listen." They were even more thrilled by the bushwhacking that followed as we headed off trail for a while between the blue 'ridge' trail and the white 'fern' trail. And though the blue blazes of the Ridge trail were within our sights the whole time, it really felt like we were roughing it for a while!

It was the rocks which lured them off the trail to begin with--those huge glacial boulders you see all through the parks in Westchester County calling to the kids to come and climb. We've had several of these climbing adventures on Kids Unplugged outings and it offers parents yet another opportunity to push their comfort levels just a bit to allow the kids the chance to take some risks. Fighting the urge to hover, we hung back just far enough. To a group of parents I posed, "Where were we when we were their age?" and one mom said, "We were on the rock. But we were by ourselves." And she's right. We were on the rock, literally and metaphorically, climbing, testing, learning to negotiate our footing, learning how high was too high, learning that if our foot hit loose dirt we might go down, hobbling home with skinned knees and a sense of pride and accomplishment. And yes, we probably did some stupid things, took risks we shouldn't have, made some poor choices, twisted some ankles, bruised our chutzpuh. But the lessons, experiences and confidence gained from these adventures were likely worth it. So we'll try to give our kids the gift of similar freedom and exploration in this time that just isn't like it was when we were kids. And why is that, exactly?

We had a great hike today. Let's do it again soon.

Debbie Allan's slideshow:

A Blustery Fall Day on the Farm

2009-09-29T22:52:00.011-04:00

The second session of the Garden Sprouts met this morning and the breezy weather was quite apropo for our focus on fall leaves. It was also perfect pumpkin muffin weather, and we started our day by preparing our snack on the patio with the view of the farm spread out beyond.

But before we started with our leaf activities there were farm chores to be done. This morning, to the delight of most (but the chagrin of one!) we headed down to the coops to gather eggs from the nesting boxes of the farm's Rhode Island Reds. Clutching blue wire baskets, the kids trooped down the hill, and after a brief lesson in how to place the eggs in the basket--should we hold them up here and drop them in?--they climbed enthusiastically over the fence among the clucking birds.
Collecting eggs with children is really like taking part in a treasure hunt. The looks on their faces as they spy the eggs among the sawdust is classic and their exclamations of joy and surprise a pleasure to observe. They spent a bit of time visiting with the hens and gathering eggs and despite a few casualties, we headed back up the hill with baskets full and hands ready for washing.

The watercolor leaf mobile that we would make today posed a bit of a challenge in the wind. While the kids gathered for some stories, grown-ups cut maple leaves from the tissue for the kids to paint. When enough leaves had been cut and the stories read, we went in search of a bit of shelter from the wind so that it would not take our leaves away before they had been painted and strung. The front of the farm store was somewhat less blowy and the wetness of the paint added some heft to the leaves to help keep them still, although we had to weigh them down with gourds as well!

When we finished painting it was time for our muffins which were warm from the oven and a nice treat for everyone. We finished up with some fun autumn songs and poems before heading on our way. Looking forward to our seed study next time!

The Autumn Equinox at Fishkill

2009-09-26T22:50:00.007-04:00

Today was our first in the Fall series of Saturdays at Fishkill Farms and all I have to say is, "what a difference the apple season makes!" The farm, while bustling throughout the summer, was positively packed on this sunny, prime apple-picking Saturday. And as happy I am for Josh and Hannah and the rest of the farm folks for their well-earned success this season, I was glad for our hike off the beaten orchard trail today.

Our morning was spent hiking out along the main orchard drag to a tractor trail which led us into the woods and eventually into an old orchard area. We were off in search of signs of autumn as well as to collect materials for our equinox crowns we would be making later. The highlight of our hike was the variety of miniature wildlife we encountered. From monarchs and swallowtails to leaf hoppers, honeybees, big yellow spiders and one fabulously hairy caterpillar, the kids swarmed around whenever I called out, "wait until you guys see what I found!" Tonight, looking through my photographs of the day's adventures, I did a little research on the crazy, fuzzy black and white caterpillar we found among the leaf litter on the trail. I had picked him (her?) up gingerly holding the leaf that was his home telling the children that they could touch with "just one finger." This was definitely a naturalist's lesson for me, because my research revealed this fabulous guy, who I joked might metamorphosis into a skunk because of his markings, to be a Hickory Tussock Moth larvae--one known to have tiny stinging spines among its fuzz. All of us were left unstung, including myself who allowed the critter to crawl on the back of my hand so that I might have a better photo-op, though I will now modify my "one finger" rule to "look with your eyes only," unless we are absolutely sure what we're dealing with!

The wildlife wasn't our only thrill today. The autumn flora was equally attractive and the kids filled their baskets to the brim with everything from black walnuts to the group's favorite--ripe milkweed pods. They cracked them open and wonderously revealed the fluffy seeds inside, throwing them into the wind like confetti. Later, when we worked on our crowns, the double-stick tape I brought for the project became matted with milkweed fluff making it a bit difficult to attach the other decorations the kids brought to the table!

The hustle and bustle on the farm presented opportunities for much diversion after our program ended and most folks stayed on to have lunch, gather apples and other provisions from the farm store and heading out to the orchards for some picking themselves.

Autumn on the farm.

Wacky Wednesday East Irvington Nature Preserve

2009-09-24T19:41:00.001-04:00

Yesterday afternoon we stayed very local and headed to East Irvington Nature Preserve. Mother Nature seems to be having a hard time deciding on whether it is really Fall, as it was an unseasonably warm day. A contrast to the last time Kids Unplugged visited the Preserve, back in April when the children had ample opportunity to puddle jump.

The group was fairly small, with a few new faces, which is always a delight. We started off by making our way to the pond, which is guaranteed to attract the children. We hung out for quite some time on the platform overlooking the pond, giving the children plenty of time to explore
and look for wildlife (and sticks) surrounding the pond.

We progressed slowly along the trail, stopping every once in a while to pick up toads and worms, examine mushrooms and to enjoy the soft mossy "carpet". It felt so spongy underfoot. A perfect spot to rest awhile.

We completed our loop and returned to the platform once again, where several of the younger members of the group had chosen to spend time socializing and getting to know one another.

We look forward to seeing our new found friends again soon.

A Day at the Lakes

2009-09-19T23:23:00.016-04:00

This morning Kids Unplugged was joined by an enthusiastic group of families for our Fish-a-Thon to benefit Recycled Fish and the Tarrytown Lakes. Whether they were there to ride bikes, catch fish, or try their arms at paddling a kayack, kids and parents alike spent some truly beautiful early-fall hours along the lakes. And thanks to Coffee Labs Roasters and the Bagel Emporium we had a lakeside brunch as well.

According to Teeg Stouffer, director of Recycled Fish, a recent study completed by the Outdoor Foundation found that fishing was the #1 activity that got kids interested in other outdoor activities. Judging from the attention spans of the kids today, this seems pretty accurate.

Despite the fact that the fish weren't really biting, time spent fishing with Mom and Dad, fashioning Tom Sawyer-style fishing rods, learning to cast, baiting the hooks, digging for worms, and untangling their lines made for some solid outdoor entertainment. We did manage to reel in a few sunnies, much to the kids' (and dads'!) delight, and then kissed them goodbye and released them on their way.

For some families this was their first Kids Unplugged outing and many mentioned looking forward to joining us again soon.

We sure hope they will.

Fish-a-Thon Tomorrow!

2009-09-18T09:03:00.006-04:00

Saturday September 19th
Fish-a-Thon at the Tarrytown Lakes!

10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Inspired by the Recycled Fish

24-hour National Fish-a-Thon

The weather is supposed to be beautiful this Saturday! Join Kids Unplugged at our first annual Fish-a-Thon in conjunction with RecycledFish.org's National effort. Bring your kids, your bikes, your friends and your live bait and join us for a morning of fishing at the Tarrytown Lakes. We'll have generous donations of fabulous coffee from our own Coffee Labs Roasters and bagels and cream cheese from the Bagel Emporium.

Check the September calendar (scroll down and look on the right-sidebar) for more details and directions!

Adventures in Apples

2009-09-15T22:26:00.015-04:00

Once upon a time there was a little boy who went to visit with his grandparents for a few days. One day, after having spent the morning playing with his grandfather his grandmother told him, "head outside to play for a while now, Grandfather and I have some work to do around the house." "But what is there to do?" asked the little boy, "I didn't bring any toys with me." His grandmother smiled at him and said, "Go out and find a little red house, with no windows or doors and a star inside of it." So the boy ran out the door, excited as he began to search for the little red house...

This is the story we closed with today, at our first meeting of the Garden Sprouts at Fishkill Farms. From the photograph I know you can imagine how the story turns out. Opening the apple to reveal the star inside was a little moment of magic for the children--and the grown-ups, too!

We started our morning baking apple muffins using both eggs and apples from the farm before heading out for a hike and some picking in the apple orchard. Preparing the muffins was definitely a cooperative event--I don't think there was one set of small hands that didn't add or mix and ingredient. After washing the sticky brown sugar from little fingers, we took our pails and started down the farm road toward the ripe McIntosh apples.

Josh and Hannah had some adorable new signs stenciled and painted to announce the fall picking season at the gate and to label the different
sections of trees in the orchard. We were greeted by a cheery McIntosh sign as we walked down the hill and after a couple of instructions the children were off into the trees. I was thrilled by how aware they were of their surroundings, noticing and talking about everything they saw, sometimes with a little prompting but also on their own. There were bees to study and fallen, fermenting apples to sniff. This lead to a discussion about apple cider and talk about the old adage of "one bad apple spoils the whole bunch." There were apples to be picked and buckets to be shared. There were holes in apples to be examined and speculated about and fluffy dandelion blossoms to blow and scatter. And there were leaf hoppers and monarchs and swallowtails in the meadow and turkey vultures swooping overhead and chickens to visit and Queen Anne's lace to pick. Whew. All this in about a 40-minute walk around the farm. It reminded me of what a wonderful place it is.

When we returned from our hike, cheeks flushed and sweaty, we settled in at the picnic tables in the shade of the pergola which were spread with blank newsprint. Pans of red and green paint and apple halves completed the list of simple supplies as the kids set to work making a montage of apple prints, dipping the apple halves (and their hands!) into the paint and setting them on the paper. Much glee ensued upon lifting the apples and finding the impression left behind.

After our painting, we had a story in the meadow above the orchard, again in the shade but this time by some of the farm's beautiful old trees, for a read-aloud and some silly apple rhymes. The muffins were ready by then and we shared them along with apple cider back under the pergola with the little red house story. I would be surprised if they didn't all fall asleep in the car as soon as they left the farm!

Fantasy in the Castle--Wacky Wednesday at Halsey Pond

2009-09-09T22:51:00.007-04:00

The first day of school for many local kids ended with a romp around the loop at Halsey Pond, a place that has quickly become a favorite for Kids Unplugged. Today the kids' feet barely touched the gravel path and they took off as soon as the pond came into site beyond the short, uphill trek to the loop's entrance. Their destination was immediately apparent--the Beltzhoover Teahouse--and my own children were as guilty as the rest of breaking the cardinal Kids Unplugged "you must be able to see your parents and they must be able to see you" rule.

Those participants with shorter legs made their way much more slowly along the path, stopping to admire the ducks, play in the fountain, throw rocks into the water, collect the early-changing fall maple leaves and pick up sticks. When those of us with little ones in tow finally arrived at the Teahouse, the older children were deeply immersed in a world of fantasty and imagination. There were gate keepers and royal highnesses and swordsmen busily playing their parts in the land they had created in and around the castle-like structure which is the last remaining building of the old Beltzhoover Estate. Parents chatted nearby while the children romped and explored and played, eventually moving them back onto the path where a little concrete jetty into the pond captured the attention of the smaller ones intent on throwing more stones and poking sticks of varying lengths into the water. This hiatus allowed the older children to embark on part two of their play, bushwhacking their way into the brush surrounding the base of the Teahouse, finding hiding places, telling stories and looking like a bunch of children from Lord of the Flies.

It was just what it should be. The parents on the periphery while the kids created their own play, their own worlds. Hopefully some of this can translate into play in our own backyards, in the little pockets of wild space we have around our homes where the kids can imagine and hide and disappear from their structured worlds for a while. Hopefully this can happen more often along the trail. Our comfort levels may be the littlest bit pushed sometimes, our eyes out for potential dangers--poison ivy, ticks, kids too close to the water's edge--but the if we breathe deeply and allow them this space, very cool things can start to happen. They happened today. Very cool.

Harvest Time on the Farm

2009-08-22T21:42:00.021-04:00

Our summer series at Fishkill Farms drew to a close today with a very special harvest program. Walker was on hand once again, much to the kids' delight, and we spent a good part of the morning romping through the muddy rows of the vegetable garden helping with the early part of the harvest.

In days of old, the late summer harvest began at the beginning of August with the festival of Lammas or Lughnasadh (in honor of the Celtic craftsman god Lugh). The belief was that if a farmer harvested his grain before Lammas it meant that the previous season's grain had run out too early which didn't look good to the rest of the farming community. When the first grain was finally cut, it was celebrated with the baking and sharing of the season's first loaves. Other early crops were harvested as well and celebrations revolved around summer's first bounty.

In keeping with this tradition, the kids' morning on the farm began with kneading the dough to make the bread that we would share at the end of our farm work that day. Intrigued, the kids sat around the picnic tables and were each handed a lump of sticky dough that had already been through it's first rise. Accompanied by rounds of Oats and Beans and Barley Grow (the peas lyric was rejected for whatever reason, by my daughter) they sprinkled the table in front of them with flour and kneaded their dough to smooth, elastic perfection.

All the buns had been put on the baking sheets and the tables cleaned and cleared as Walker arrived to take them to the garden. By now, most of the kids knew Walker's friendly face and he was calling many of them by name (which is something that, as a teacher, I took note of right away--he's really got a knack with kids). We learned about which plants could be harvested on rainy days so as not to encourage diseases to spread more readily through the plants--something I didn't know about. Mental note, don't pick tomatoes or beans when it's raining. Thankfully the rain that had been steady only a few minutes earlier took a break just as we headed down the lane to the vegetables, Walker leading the way, the pied piper armed with bushel baskets.

Our first stop was the carrot patch where the kids watched while Walker loosened the earth with his pitchfork to make the pulling a bit easier for small hands. They set right to work digging away in the rich loam of the patch, searching for carrots among the clumps and exclaiming with joy and surprise as the long, orange vegetables were lifted from the dirt.

When the basket was full, Walker took us over to a bed of potatoes--blue potatoes! The kids hunkered down searching for the camouflaged tubers. Because this patch had likely been harvested that morning before some of the growers headed to the farmers' market, it wasn't as plentiful as was the carrot patch. The kids were still able to harvest a basket load before heading to the orchard to pick some of the farm's enormous, ripe, white peaches.

Our muddy crew headed back up to the picnic tables for some hand washing, bidding Walker farewell with gratitude before beginning work on our harvest wreaths.

When they were finished crafting we set the table with lemonade and honey and just-washed carrots and brought out their freshly baked bread.

An early harvest feast indeed.

Wacky Wednesday Dip at Gory Brook

2009-08-19T18:05:00.013-04:00

After taking much the summer off aside from our farm outings, Kids Unplugged threw a Wacky Wednesday on the calendar earlier in the month and promptly forgot about it. When the 19th rolled around, a reminder email went out about the hike along the Gory Brook Trail in Rockefeller State Park. Figuring that everyone's summers have been as laid back as ours has been, I really expected to be out there with my girls and maybe a few other folks. Imagine my surprise when the cars started rolling up to the dead end for the hike with kids spilling out ready to hit the trail. Parents and kids alike said they really missed Wacky Wednesdays, and I was delighted to be met, not only by a dear friend with whom I haven't managed to connect in ages, but 4 other new families as well, bringing our total up to 17 families for the hike.

Our crew set off down the shady path with kids and parents both happily reuniting after 6-weeks of summer vacation. It was wonderful to meet folks who have been following the blog and our adventures for some time but had not managed to join us until now. One mom told me that she had arranged her work schedule so that she wouldn't miss Wacky Wednesdays this year. How great to be greeted by such enthusiasm! Thanks, all.

The Gory Brook Trail is truly spectacular during all four seasons. There is an amazing, triple-arch stone bridge along the trail, reminding visitors of the Preserve's rich history. And while it may be at its most beautiful in the autumn, when the leaves, bursting with fall color surround you on all sides, for today's steamy, summertime visit, it was the perfect remedy.

We've hiked this trail, and others along brooks, creeks, streams and rivers, in the past, and it is a long-running challenge to keep the kids out of the drink. In fact, if you follow this blog you'll recall numerous incidences of splash and splooge over the past several months. Today, however, was a joyous reprieve from parents' concern about having to hike back to the trail head with cold, wet children. At least today, they would be warm and wet. One smart mama even brought the bathing suits.

The kids were in the brook, in various stages of undress, the instant we arrived at the put in point. They waded, splashed, mucked, sifted, netted and fished. Our day's big find was a crawdad that a real dad pulled from under a rock.

Great hike. Added one more for before school starts. Looking forward to seeing everyone again soon.

Debbie Allan's slideshow:

Garden Sprouts--Coming this Fall!

2009-08-17T23:29:00.003-04:00

Kids Unplugged is excited to announce Garden Sprouts, a program for preschoolers and their grown-ups, at Fishkill Farms two Tuesdays per month during September and October (dates: 9/15, 9/29, 10/13 & 10/27). Each session will be from 10:30-12 and will include a snack. The cost is $60 per child for the 4 session program and will feature singing, storytelling, nature games, crafting, farm chores and other farm & nature-based activities.

Fishkill Farms and its 300-acres of beautiful farmland, orchards, woodlands, pond, creek and meadows will serve as the backdrop for our adventures. Autumn and its bounty is a wonderful time at the farm and the orchards and gardens will be bursting with their harvest.

Space is limited to 12 children, so please register early if you are interested. Summer sessions at the farm filled very quickly. For more information about the program and to receive registration materials please contact us at kidsunpluggedny@gmail.com

Bugs in the Garden, Butterflies in the Meadow

2009-08-02T22:41:00.006-04:00

Wasps and earthworms, leafhoppers and assassin bugs, butterflies and honeybees--what do all these critters share in common? They, and many others, are happy residents in the gardens and meadows of Fishkill Farms. Our recent farm adventure introduced us to all of these and other insects--some helpful, others not so much.

We were fortunate to have another visit with Walker, one of Fishkill's growers, for a tour of the farm's greenhouse, sunflower patch, and compost heap. It was a hot, sunny day on the farm, a welcome change from the many rainy days this summer has brought us, and the surrounding fields and orchards seemed to be postively buzzing with life. Kids arrived at the picnic tables and began doing some eyedropper painting to make the first part of the butterfly mobile we would be putting together later on. As we waited for the group to assemble for the day, a rainbow of butterflies emerged from creative hands and were set to dry in the sun during our hike.

Walker soon arrived having spent the morning caring for and helping to vaccinate some of the farm's sheep. He carried with him a small container with holes punched in the top. On the container was written "Walker's bugs" in magic marker. Walker reminds me of a big kid. He sat right down at the picnic table with his bugs talking to our group about the various critters they might see around the farm, introducing them to the ones he had captured and getting them excited to set off on their own bug hunt.

We set out for the greenhouse where Walker showed them a wasp's nest snugged away in the corner. We learned that wasps lay their eggs on the body of a host insect where they will stay until they hatch. While watching the wasps zip in and out of their home, we were treated to the sight of butterflies fluttering around the plants in the greenhouse, mostly monarchs and swallowtails, and the kids clutched their nets in anticipation of catching one back outside.

Right next to the greenhouse is an area planted with several rows of enormous sunflowers. There we met some of the most important insects on the farm--the bees--who were busily pollinating and frolicking from one giant flower to the next. The kids loved it in there. The sunflowers towered above their heads creating a magical space for them to run and hide and play.

Walker lured the children from this forest of flowers holding a cupped hand out to them and asking, "What do you think I might have in here?" Opening his hand slowly, he revealed a very large, brown leafhopper (and I'm not sure how this is different from a grasshopper!) who quickly leaped into the hands of a waiting child. We sat still for a moment and suddenly saw the insects everywhere around us, springing up from the thick grass in all directions. The kids' nets came in handy here.

Our last stop was the farm's composting area where the kids were thrilled by plump earthworms and even more so by the produce they saw in various stages of decomposition, including a large, dried out pumpkin/acorn squash that had been there for quite some time. They played eye-spy, spotting eggshells, carrots, beets, and a pile of chicken poop in and around the compost pile, amazed that this "garbage" would soon be going back into the garden.

By this time, our group was pretty sweaty and wilted, so we headed back up to the orchard behind the farm store for some shady read-aloud time before finishing the butterfly mobiles and enjoying some of the farm's newly harvested, super-sweet white peaches.

Camping Anyone?

2009-07-28T23:17:00.014-04:00

During my month's hiatus, the Kids Unplugged family headed to Lake George with a bunch of friends (my husband counted that we had a dozen kids all told throughout the week) for some camping. Our group had four sites near one another and the kids spent their days running between the sites, firing up spider dogs on the campfire, canoeing and swimming in the lake, drawing at the picnic tables, reading and listening to stories and exploring the creek that ran behind the sites. They were solidly dirty for five straight days except when they were in the lake and I've never seen a more content group of totally unplugged kids. Five days of cooking like Caroline Ingalls did start to wear on my own nerves a bit, but the site of those kids mucking about in the creek, faces covered with the sticky remnants of last night's s'mores, made it all worth it. That and the company of some pretty great friends.

Same time next year!

A Walk in the Creek

2009-07-25T23:14:00.000-04:00

This past Saturday was our much awaited Walk in Wicopee Creek at Fishkill Farms. After all the rain we had leading up to today's hike, I was a bit apprehensive about the condition of the creek, but the conditions were perfect for small humans to traverse the creek bed safely and confidently in search of critters of all sorts.

I have to first off comment on just how fantastic Fishkill Farms is as a venue for nature adventures with children. The topography is so incredibly varied that the possibilities for the types of exploration are endless. Additonally, there are all these little, magical places hidden throughout the farm's almost 300-acres which lend themselves perfectly to children's play. For another example of this check out our summer solstice celebration in the fairy woods.

The kids arrived in their boots at the picnic tables this morning ready to meet the creek and were greeted with a pile of books about streams and ponds and their aquatic wildlife. We had stories about otters and dragonflies and frogs. We had reference books with illustrations of some of the larvae and nymphs which might be living down the hill in the creek we would soon be exploring. We had the lure of small magnifying glasses and seining screens. And we had a rousing read of Frog in the Bog by Karma Wilson and Joan Rankin, to further whet their appetites for critter catching.

We hiked down through the farm, past the vegetable gardens and through some wildflower meadows to a clearing where we could access the creek. "Enter quietly and find your very own spot to sit and just watch the creek for a few minutes," I told them. "Let's see what kinds of creatures might be around here just by sitting and watching." The kids crept along the creek bed with reverence, though fighting the pull of the creek to sit still proved a bit too challenging. They waded quietly along the creek's edge looking into the clear water before coming to me for their screens. Parents quickly joined the kids, shedding socks and shoes and taking to the cool water of the creek on this steamy summer morning.

At first, the kids didn't know what they were catching, but the first sights of damselfly larvae and water sliders skittering around our little containers of creek water on the shore filled them with wonder and excitement. I must admit that the grown-ups spent a little more time examining the findings than did the kids, however, who were very content to capture as many creatures as time allowed. We had tadpoles and tiny wiggling worms and squiggly nymphs of various sorts and tried our best to identify them with the resources at hand. They did enjoy looking at the creatures magnified through the lenses, and the littlest explorers wanted to spend time with the eye droppers we used to transfer the critters into viewing vessels.

When it was time to clean up, it took us a bit of time to pull the kids away from the creek, and dry them semi-sufficiently for the hike back up to the farm. We took our time on the way back up, admiring the wildflowers and the ladybugs hiding among the Queen Anne's Lace. When we got back, we took some time to share a bit about our adventures and to learn song called Water Bugs that played in my head for the next three days!

Like last time, we lingered over picnic lunches on the terrace and several families stayed to pick the farm's remaining blueberries as well as the sugar-sweet plums which dropped easily from the heavily laden branches of the orchard's plum trees.

Another sweet morning on the farm.

Which Came First?

2009-07-11T23:19:00.011-04:00

I can think of many fun things to do outdoors, but collecting eggs from hen houses with a bunch of kids has to be up there on the list. In fact, I don't know if I've ever gathered eggs from the hen house myself, so I guess I have to admit that my own excitement made our morning at Fishkill Farms today that much more fun.

We had a lot planned this morning for our Adventures with Chickens and Eggs, and the kids got started right away making thumbprint chickens replete with feathers and beaks at the picnic tables while we waited for everyone to arrive and get settled. We were soon greeted by our friend Walker, one of the farmers at Fishkill, who was going to spend some time with us today as we learned a little bit about chickens and their incredible, edible, produce. Walker got the parents chuckling right away with his silly riddle about roosters laying eggs (it took me a minute to catch that one!) and the kids were quickly caught up in his infectious humor and good spirits. Walker told the kids that their job was to help gather the eggs today, that they could pet the chickens if they could catch them, and that they could toss them some corn for a treat.

We then headed down the hill toward the chicken coops and with the help of the parents, lifted the kids over the fence and into chicken land. They were delighted! The farm chickens were everywhere clucking and running to and fro around the kids' legs. We had a wire basket to collect the eggs and while there were a few casualties (it's hard to convey to the little ones that one must place the eggs ino the basket rather than dropping them in from 2 feet above) we gathered an admirable number of fresh eggs. The kids then had the chance to wash their eggs with Walker in one of the farm's work areas before making a little basket in which to carry it home.

After our visit with the birds, we gathered on the shady orchard hillside for a rousing game of "chicken, chicken, fox (or weasel, or raccoon, or owl)" after a discussion about the birds' predators to the tune of duck, duck, goose. We played a little chicken tag and learned the song, Los Pollitos Dicen or Baby Chicks are Singing, a traditional Latin American children's song, in Spanish and English. Finally, we learned that the shells of chickens' eggs are very strong when we stacked a large pile of books atop several inverted eggshells to see how many the dome-shaped shells could hold before crumbling. The big thrill was when they finally broke!
Many families stayed at the farm after the program to enjoy fresh omlettes and produce (like peas!) from the farmer's market, to enjoy the gorgeous views of the surrounding orchard, and to spend some time picking farm's beautifully ripe blueberries.

As always, a great time for all.

A Little Down Time...

2009-06-30T23:44:00.006-04:00

Kids Unplugged is taking a brief blogging hiatus during the month of July. Join us for Saturdays at the Farm in Fishkill when we have our Adventures with Chickens and Eggs on July 11th or for our other upcoming farm dates.

The August calendar will be posted soon.

Until then!

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

2009-06-26T21:56:00.018-04:00

Thanks to the unyielding support, in all kinds of weather, of our Kids Unplugged enthusiasts, our last Wacky Wednesday walk was a delight. Pulling into the parking lot at the Rockwood Hall trailhead this afternoon I was greeted by a sea of brightly colored slickers and large umbrellas tailgating in the pouring, pouring rain. Zoiks. It's been some June.

We waited a good 20-minutes for the deluge to clear and
capitalized on the spots of blue between the clouds to hit the trail.

The view of the Hudson as we crested the hill was spectacular as usual and though the swamp under the great beech tree made it a bit too mucky for climbing, the hemlocks were the star destination that they always are.

After a some solid climbing time, we headed for a quick loop around the eastern foundation trail for some nice puddle stomping and a hearty run-around. As we started back uphill toward the foundation, so did the rain, and we got a bit of a soaking as we made our way back down to the start of the trail, the Tappan Zee Bridge now hidden by clouds and fog.

Many thanks to all of your for your support and enthusiasm for Wacky Wednesdays this past 6 months. It's been great fun and we'll start up again in September.

Happy Summer!

Midsummer Fairies at the Farm

2009-06-20T22:26:00.028-04:00

Today marked our first official Saturday on the Farm at Fishkill Farms and we spent it celebrating the summer solstice on this cloudy June morning.

There were several families who arrived to join us and the kids spent some time checking out the cherry trees and visiting the chickens while parents registered for the program and got situated. Our first activity was to make wildflower jewelry, namely daisy crowns and clover necklaces. The table was strewn with daisies and while the mommies spent a bit more time on this craft than did the children--splitting the daisy stems was a bit challenging for little fingers to negotiate--the results were lovely. In fact, some of the mommies set out on the trail with their own floral adornments! The children enjoyed collecting clover from the surrounding hillside to tie into necklaces and bracelets as well.

We then gathered together to listen to some midsummer folklore and history before heading out for our hike. We talked about the importance of the sun to farmers and folks depending on a successful harvest for their own livelihoods. We talked about buying vegetables in the grocery store versus growing them ourselves. We talked of bonfires and dancing in honor of the upcoming harvest. And we talked about the mystical energy of the solstice, the most magical night of the year, when Puck and his fellow fairy folk come out to frolic in the lingering midsummer sun.

With the kids' fairy pumps well-primed (with help from a fantastic flower fairy book by Cicely Mary Barker) and armed with baskets to collect items with which we would decorate our soon-to-be-built fairy houses, we set out for the magical fairy woodland. The kids were completely into the magic at this point and everything along the trail became a piece of something that a fairies or elves would be happy to have in their homes. They were wary of pixies, the tricky fairies who try to lead unsuspecting folks awry into the woods as they filled the baskets with wildflowers, leaves, berries, interesting sticks and a variety of stones.

A hush fell over the group as we got to the entrance to the magic woodland. They stepped gingerly along the trail, over the ankle-deep, fluffy ground cover that filled the little clearing. They quickly found their own special spots to build their own fairy houses, darting here and there to collect other items or retrieve things from the baskets to use in their construction. A bit hesitant at first, most of the kids quickly engaged themselves in the project while the parents were a bit giddy in their joining in. I sometimes wonder who enjoys building fairy houses more, myself or my girls, and these parents were no different. Abodes from the tiny to the more elaborate quickly emerged from the forest floor replete with thatched roofs and daisy entryways.

The children then spent a bit of time visiting the others' houses and then gathered together under the shelter of some trees for a story before hiking back through the
meadows to the farm.

It was a special morning for all.

Many thanks to Jamie Gehman, Kids Unplugged star graphic artist (see our great logos) for the great shot of our magical woodland.

Puddle Stomping at the Rye Nature Center

2009-06-19T21:45:00.005-04:00

This past Friday for our Early Summer Stroll of the week, Kids Unplugged visited the Rye Nature Center. This is a spot that I've wanted to get to for some time and it is a lovely place. A series of unmarked trails traverse the 52-acre property. Many of of these are interconnecting, include two numbered nature trails, and travel through varied terrain including woodland, wetlands, streams, fields and a pond. There is a small nature center with a host of native and non-native animals to visit and seasonal displays to explore. There is also an evolving "nature's playground" where the kids can climb and play before and after a hike along the trails.

Our visit began, understandably, at the playground as we waited for folks to arrive before heading out on the trail. With all the wet weather as of late, the trails were peppered with puddles and mud, much to the children's delight. In fact, the highlight of the hike was when, on our search for the pond, we came upon an area of low-woodland that was largely flooded by rain water. The kids took to the lake-like puddle with fairly reckless abandon, and trudged through with soggy joy. In that vein, we encountered something today that we haven't had much of recently (and for which I was not prepared) mosquitoes. They started to nail us around the flood area and whenever we stood still for too long, causing us to make tracks back to the nature center for some time with the animals.

The kids saw and pet the corn snake, wondered about giant hissing cockroaches from Madagascar (sorry, yuck), cooed over the chinchilla, and watched the bees entering and leaving their hive with pollen stuck to their hairy legs. We then went outside to find a spot along the rocks for a story and a lunch picnic before heading back to the playground for another quick romp before heading out.

A nice time and a place to return to soon.

(My camera battery was dead today so we'll have to wait for Debbie's great shots!).

Navigating Our Way Through Hardscrabble

2009-06-17T22:49:00.006-04:00

Our hike in the Hardscrabble Wilderness Area in Pleasantville was an exercise in navigational skills. The intention was to hike part of the way along the white trail (the longest trail in the park at 1.5 miles) to loop back around on the orange trail. I'm pretty sure we passed the orange trail thinking that it was red as the initial blaze seemed pretty bright though those we saw down trail from the turnoff looked decidedly red, so we stayed on the white trail. This was essentially fine, though it did make for a longer than anticipated hike. The kids did very well, better than some of us parents in fact, though they reached the trail's end pretty tired and hungry for an after school hike.

The park itself is very beautiful. Forested trails wend their ways through woodlands, crossing streams via stone, wood and stepping stone bridges, winding through an area of wetlands, and climbing up a decent hill. There were many spots for exploration, climbing and foraging. The kids spotted various fungi (after all the damp weather) on the forest floor. They were fascinated by a huge stone cairn along the trail. They spied a toad camoflauged among the leaves, peeked down into ravines and poked the bottom with sticks to measure its depth, scaled boulders, traversed streams, and snuggled with a couple of mini-dacshunds at trail's end (and I had very cute pictures of this and sadly they got lost in the download).

This is one of our last Wacky Wednesdays for a while (next Wednesday at Rockwood Hall will welcome summer vacation) and I must comment on how impressed I am with the kids in their abilities on the trail. In only six months many of our Wacky Wednesday regulars have learned how to read both maps and blazes, are more confident on tricky areas of the trail, have learned a bit of trail etiquette and have much greater stamina for the hike.

I'm so glad to have all of you joining us each week!

Opening Day at Fishkill Farms

2009-06-13T22:49:00.017-04:00

This past Saturday marked the first day of the market season at Fishkill Farms. The farm was in full swing all day today--the beautifully renovated farm market was filled with customers, freshly picked produce and delicious local products. Visitors lingered to walk around the farm and listen to the Wahoo String Band on the terrace while enjoying the spectacular view of the farm and the lush green of its surrounding hills and meadows.

And, happily, the kickoff for Saturdays on the Farm was great fun. Throughout the day, Kids Unplugged at Fishkill Farms had a steady stream of children and parents delivering the findings from their farm quests, doing farm-inspired watercolor paintings, visiting with some very sweet chicks, and making hand-made wild flower presses. All of the activities were stationed at a couple of rustic picnic tables set high on the hill overlooking the orchards, fields, gardens and chickens below.

The response to our upcoming summer series was overwhelmingly positive. Many of the local parents enthusiastically proclaimed, "We've been waiting for something like this around here!" and proceeded to register for either several sessions or the entire series. At the same time, a solid contingent of supporters from Westchester were there sporting their Kids Unplugged t-shirts, helping care for the slighly nervous chicks, dancing along with the fiddler and eating omelettes and baked goodies and native strawberries from the farm market.

Josh and Hannah were beaming throughout the day. Their smiles were well-earned after the months of hard work that has gone into launching their incredible venture--transitioning the farm over to organic production, creating a 5-acre vegetable garden with the help of two seasoned organic growers, planting hundreds of new apple, peach and apricot trees including several heirloom varieties, and welcoming to the farm a new flock of sheep. All of this in the midst of losing the farm's 100-year old timber-peg barn and its adjacent workshed and cold-storage rooms only three weeks prior to opening day.

With this kind of energy and enthusiasm, the upcoming season holds infinite promise. It is very exciting to be joining the Fishkill Farms community and I look forward to the adventures of the coming months.

Early Summer Stroll at Halsey Pond

2009-06-13T01:13:00.009-04:00

Finally after days and days and days of rain, the sky cleared just long enough for us to get a nice early afternoon hike in at the ever-charming Halsey Pond. This time we were here for the first in our June series of Early Summer Strolls and the demographic was decidedly toddler. Handfuls of gravel from the path flew from chubby hands with gleeful abandon into the pond. Baby ducks paddled quickly towards their mama much to our brood's delight. Tall grasses were great places to play hide and peek out.

And a little spigot of rushing water became an irresistible attraction for our hand-washing, sensory-loving crowd of preschoolers (hands that only moments before were squishing in the muddy puddles left behind by the recent rains).

We strolled and chatted and picnicked on the terrace of the Beltzhoover Teahouse while the kids ran and mooched and tormented us by trying to boost themselves up onto the Teahouse walls. The sun was warm and the path was steamy after the morning rain. We headed back down the trail, lots of dirty little kids ready for a nap.

It was wonderful to have new families join us today and I look forward to seeing everyone next time.

Cascades in Croton

2009-06-10T21:35:00.005-04:00

Heading over the bridge as you enter Croton Gorge Park the first thing you see, depending upon the season and recent rainfall, is a rush of water coming out of a side opening in the New Croton Dam. If this is your first visit to this park you may think, "oh, that's cool," believing that gushing water to be the cascade through the dam from the New Croton Resevoir on the other side. Drive a two seconds further, and you will find yourself bursting fourth with, "Whoaa! Look at that!" Because when the entire dam comes into view, it is spectacular, awesome, breathtaking.

We were fortunate enough to visit Croton Gorge Park after several days of rainfall and the water roaring over the spillway was at its most impressive. Standing beside the dam you could feel the spray of the falls as you shouted to make yourself heard over the powerfully cascading water.

The dam itself stands 200-feet high and unless you notice the tiny picnic table beneath the tree, it is difficult to envision its massive scale from the title photo. The kids spent a good long while scaling the face of the dam, their first lesson in climbing rock face, while we waited for everyone to arrive.

The trail itself, aptly called the River Trail as it follows the Croton River for much of its length, was great for exploration and adventure, however, its blazing system is in need of some recovery. Fortunately, there was only one trail to follow, right along the river, and because it was narrow and curvy with lots of areas for side visits to the riverbank for log balancing and stone throwing, we moved at the pace of the kids and turned back before we needed to find the loop.

And explore they did. There was ample opportunity for poking around the rocks and sand and foam along the shores of the river. They hopped along stepping stones to reach tiny sandbar-like penninsula that jutted out into the river's shallow edges. Rocks and stones were gathered for tossing, sticks were collected and used to dig and pretend to fish. And one fascinating, prehistoric insect was found on the trail among the dark carpet of damp leaves. We still need to figure out what it was!

A little playground beyond the parking area and a visit with some friendly, wet doggies finished our visit for this Wacky Wednesday.

Debbie's pictures from today are fantastic. To view all of them visit her website:
http://debbieallanphotography.smugmug.com/gallery/8515620_uyqHi#560516859_tEu3U

Meet the Chicks!

2009-06-04T23:12:00.005-04:00

Tuesday afternoon my girls and I headed up to spend some time at Fishkill Farms, learn the lay of the land a bit, and meet the new arrivals to the farm--a brand-new batch of baby, Rhode Island Red chicks--who would become the newest flock of laying hens at the farm.

First off, here's a bit of history about Fishkill Farms. In 1913, Henry Morgenthau Jr. (the U.S. Treasury Secretary from 1934-1945 under Franklin D. Roosevelt) purchased land in East Fishkill, New York and started an apple orchard, dairy, and chicken farm. The farm was eventually passed down to Henry's son Robert Morgenthau, Manhattan's 9-term District Attorney, who kept it running for many years with the help of a farm manager. After the farm manager retired (about fifteen years ago), the land was leased to other area farmers. Until recently, that is. In 2007, Josh Morgenthau, Robert's son, a fine-arts graduate from Yale University, decided to take the helm, initiating a long-overdue revival of this beautiful, nearly 300-acre farm in southern Dutchess County.

Josh, who spent summers on the farm as a kid, has a passionate interest in farming and the environment. His biggest project this season has been planting a 5-acre organic vegetable garden in addition to the nearly 50-acres of fruit trees on the farm. The vegetables are grown completely without the use of either pesticides or herbicides and the garden is under the management of Fox and Julia, who are experienced organic growers.

To the orchard Josh has added several varieties of heirloom apples as he works toward minimizing the need for spraying pesticides on his trees. He currently utilizes a carefully monitored Integrated Pest Management (IPM) system. When plucking some baby apples off the trees for my girls to examine he mentioned that they'd been recently sprayed. He went on to say that he feels very strongly about the detrimental effects of pesticides on the ecosystems of the farm and beyond and that when he has to spray at all he chooses products with the lowest levels of toxicity available.

The farm also has a small flock of hair sheep (they shed rather than need to be sheared) and several new lambs were born this spring. The sheep will be used to help improve the pasture and maintain the grass in the orchard.

The girls and I had a lovely time exploring the farm with Josh and his girlfriend, Hannah Geller, who are very excited to have Kids Unplugged join the Fishkill Farms community. Josh and Hannah were generous in both time and spirit, helping the girls navigate their way through the tall meadow grass, pointing out the prickly nettles, and patiently waiting as they stopped to examine wildflowers and insects and roll around on the spongy woodland floor.

I think we're going to have some fun.

Not-so-Sunny Ridge Preserve!

2009-06-03T21:52:00.014-04:00

Today's very rainy Wacky Wednesday was spent at the beautiful Sunny Ridge Preserve in Ossining. Slated to become a housing development in the late 1990s, the town of New Castle worked to acquire the land for open space wetland protection and just last spring turned it into a nature preserve. The land is home to a variety of wildlife habitats including fragile areas of wetlands. Visitors can explore some of the preserve's 77-acres along a 2.8-mile system of carefully blazed, well-maintained trails.

Our hike today followed along the southern red trail toward the pond and then wended its way up and over hills, along and across streams and through fern-filled woods. Throughout our entire hike, which lasted about an hour and a half, it was pouring. But we only knew that from the sound of the rain as it landed on the umbrella of leafy trees far over our heads. While we did emerge from the spongy forest trail rather soaked, we got slowly and happily soaked during our time in this spectacular woodland gem. It may not have been sunny there today but Sunny Ridge was a joyful place to be.

And besides, as our favorite photographer Debbie Allan noted, we've had so many sunny, flower-filled Wacky Wednesdays that maybe the pictures were getting just the tiniest bit boring.

Who's Who-Whooing in Your Backyard?

2009-06-01T21:50:00.009-04:00

Welcome to the information post about the Mianus River Gorge Preserve's Citizen Science Project, Who's Who-Whooing in Your Backyard. This is a fantastic summer project for families throughout the next three months, June-August. It would be wonderful if many Kids Unplugged folks got involved.

MRGP is enlisting residents from Westchester, Putnam, and Fairfield Counties as "citizen scientists" this summer to determine the region-wide distribution of two common owl species--the eastern screech owl (Megascops asio) and the barred owl (Strix varia) along an urban-rural gradient north of New York City.

The project is also looking for evidence of two other species, the great-horned owl (Bubo virginianus) and the saw-whet owl (Aegolius acadicus) though the saw-whet owl is migratory and will be surveyed in the fall-winter seasons.For more information about these owls visit http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/search

Participating in the study couldn't be easier. Simply email your name, address and phone number to owlcall@mianus.org. You will then receive a password that will enable you to access participant-only parts of the website.

After receiving your password, download the owl calls from the website, burn them onto a cd or an ipod and follow the study guidelines outlined on the Owl Call site (http://www.mianus.org/owlcall/guidelines.html) throughout the summer.

For more information visit http://www.mianus.org/owlcall/index.html

Please post below if you plan to participate and let us know your experiences in the coming months. I think this is going to be very cool!

Introducing...

2009-05-29T10:36:00.016-04:00

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

2009-05-28T22:28:00.010-04:00

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.the enchanted100acrewoods.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

2009-05-27T08:46:00.005-04:00

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

2009-05-21T09:40:00.006-04:00

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

2009-05-17T09:31:00.009-04:00

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

2009-05-10T22:22:00.010-04:00

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

2009-05-06T21:43:00.012-04:00

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!

Wacky Wednesday Tea Party

2009-04-29T23:13:00.013-04:00

Have you ever heard of Halsey Pond? Neither had I and it is such a treasure of a place that, and I rarely say this, I hope not too many other folks find it. Obviously I am a lover of nature and natural places of all kinds. Halsey Pond, though, is truly magical.

After a short, steep hike up a gravel trail at the end of a dead-end street in Irvington you find yourself on a wide, grassy path encircling this jewel of a pond surrounded by old growth trees and birdsong. And while the setting itself is magical, happening upon such a place at the end of the woodland trail only adds to the feeling.

The kids scooted joyfully around the pond's perimeter, admiring the mallards, exploring a little waterfall and stone fountain, and playing tag among the trees. They were enthralled by the five brand-new goslings following their mother along the shore and equally enthralled by the "castle" which loomed around the bend. They tossed rocks and searched for fish, but the highlight of the walk was some good old-fashioned playtime with Mick the Diving Yellow Lab. The first enormous splash gave me instant jelly legs because I was sure a kid had fallen into the drink, but it was only Mick, belly flopping off the wall, legs splayed, in pursuit of a big stick his owner had tossed into the pond. The kids followed Mick around the lake, shrieking with joy when he shook his soaking coat all over them, taking turns throwing sticks and a tennis ball into the water for their canine hero to retrieve until his great leaps were replaced by tired steps and it was time to head back down the trail.

That night my daughter said to me while lying in her bed, "Mama today everybody got wet, but nobody stepped in the pond." A clever observation indeed.

Debbie Allan, who takes incredible photos of our Kids Unplugged hikes, generously offered this slideshow from Halsey Pond today. Click below for the great shots!
http://www.smugmug.com/ria/ShizamSlides-2007090601.swf?AlbumID=8105918

Check out Debbie's blog and website for information and to see more of her wonderful work.
http://debbieallanphotography.blogspot.com/
http://DebbieAllanPhotography.com

Turtle Hike and Pond Study

2009-04-28T22:28:00.013-04:00

This past Saturday, Kids Unplugged returned to Westmoreland Sanctuary to join the naturalists there for a short trek to Betchel Lake to set the turtle traps. During our visit we learned from Sanctuary Director Steve Ricker that the traps do not harm the turtles but allow the staff to catch them and record information such as weight, length and distinguishing characteristics. The turtles are then marked for future identification and released at the site of capture.

We arrived at the pond, serenaded by some sort of amphibian voice, and the kids went straight for the pond-study nets. Minutes later, my daughter held up her net beaming. She'd caught a toad--a gentelman toad whose brothers we could hear singing away, encouraging the lady toads to join them for some vernal egg-laying. Steve brought out a large bucket (like the joint-compound buckets your contractor buys), added some pond water and deposited said toad inside for further examination. He did encourage the kids not to touch Mr. Toad too frequently for fear that he might become too nervous and turn upside down.

Before setting the traps, Steve brought the kids into a little lean-to beside the pond where he showed them a tiny, almost translucent egg he retrieved from a nest hidden in the eves of the shed. I cannot recall the type of bird whose egg it was but I did learn that birds cannot smell and that the mother bird will not reject eggs in her nest if she detects a human scent upon them. Am I the only one who grew up thinking this? In any case, the kids were fascinated by the teeny egg and listened attentively to Steve's mini-lesson about the traps even though their pile of pond nets was calling to them from the back of the shed.

Then it was time to set the trap. The kids helped to open up the net and carry it to the pond's edge where, much to their delight, Steve, now accompanied by Sanctuary naturalist Adam Zorn, waded thigh deep into the cold pond water to set the trap.

We spent a good, long time along the pond's edge. Other toads were caught and added to the bucket. Turtles were searched for in vain. And other than one of my kids (of course) we headed back up the trail mostly dry for a visit to Westmoreland's fantastic nature museum to end our adventure.

Wacky Wednesday with Walkable Westchester

2009-04-25T00:05:00.020-04:00

Somehow these past couple of rainy Wednesdays have granted us a reprieve right at Wacky Wednesday Walks time. This week we were at East Irvington Nature Preserve, a 32-acre space maintained by the Westchester Land Conservancy. There is just under a mile of trails, past a brook, around a pond, through the woods and up a road to a water tower. Along the way there are wonderful boulder-configurations to climb and woodland nooks to explore. The little preserve is replete with wildlife from various birds and water fowl to little spring peepers, big bullfrogs and hidden salamanders.
Joining us as a special guest on our hike today was Jane Daniels, author of the newly released book Walkable Westchester. This from the publisher:

Walkable Westchester is the seven year labor of love of long time New York - New Jersey Trail Conference volunteers, Jane and Walt Daniels. Although there are some hiking guides to the metro area that included some trails in Westchester, they decided to write one devoted exclusively to Westchester County. When they started in late 2001, based on information obtained from not-for-profits, the Westchester County Parks department, newspaper articles, and the Internet, they figured that there were about 70-80 parks, preserves, and sanctuaries with about 200-250 miles of trails. Quickly they realized that their original estimate was wrong. By 2005, they knew of 150 places and by 2008, the list of parks to be included had grown to over 180. Twenty-two parks did not exist when the project started. Jane and Walt have hiked all of the almost 600 miles of trails in Walkable Westchester. They hiked many of those trails multiple times.

It was lovely to chat with Jane during the walk and to get some of her ideas for future Wacky Wednesdays. In the meanwhile, the kids did what they ususally do--blazed the trail for the parents, stuffed their pockets with nature treasures, dug for worms, balanced on logs and tested their boots in the ponds.

Then we all went home hungry and dirty. Another good afternoon.

Note: Walkable Westchester is available from Amazon at the following link. It is an amazing resource. http://www.amazon.com/Walkable-Westchester-Jane-Daniels/dp/1880775573/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240633236&sr=8-1

Sunday's Pitch In--April 19th

2009-04-24T22:57:00.027-04:00

This past Sunday Kids Unplugged was at the Lenoir Preserve in Yonkers for the County's annual Pitch in for Parks day. Because Jon was booked to do the Bossy Frog gig, I was solo with our three gals and had images of spending the whole time chasing the small one rather than doing any concerted pitching. But, amazingly, my fears were unfounded and after about two hours, a nice group of kids and parents made a solid dent in the Preserve's spring cleaning list of chores.

We started by challenging the kids to pick up stick and pine cones from the feeder area to prep it for being raked and turned over. This is an activity which my own girls tire of quickly at home where they could make themselves seriously useful gathering the million sticks littering our backyard, but at Lenoir, the pile of accumulated kindling was impressive. And while the small one spent more time dumping out the bird bath and rifling for seeds than she did filling her pine cone basket, the discovery of a salamander under a rock certainly helped to hold their interest. When the kids did tire, they spent some time exploring the dragonfly pond while the parents finished up. Then, before the inevitable pond splooge, we hightailed it up the hill to the dry safety of the awakening butterfly garden.

The Beverly E. Smith Butterfly & Hummingbird Garden is maintained by the Hudson River Audobon society. There we met Mary Harrington, the Butterfly committee chair and primary volunteer caretaker of the garden. Mary walked our group through the seemingly dormant garden and showed us which plants needed pruning back or pulling to make way for the new season's growth--bits of which we could already see in some places. Armed with clippers, a team of kids tackled a jungle of goldenrod, cutting it down to its base and stacking the remnants in a pile along the path. Moms and Dads followed suit, pruning, raking and clearing until Mary was positively beaming, both surprised by the ability shown by our young kids and pleased with the amount of progress we made in a short amount of time. "When I got here today I said, 'I'm never going to get all this done!" She recounted this to us while walking the paths to check on our work, asking if we'd like to volunteer in the garden again this spring.

Kids Unplugged enthusiastically decided to adopt the Lenoir Butterfly Garden and promised to return in a few weeks to help Mary to do some more clearing as well as some planting. When things begin to bloom and the butterflies and hummingbirds start to visit, the kids will really feel like they contributed to something special. A bit of ownership over the space will help them to feel more invested in its growth and well-being. And they'll begin to see how even the smallest ones can help to make the world more beautiful.

Turn Off Week Idea Swap

2009-04-19T22:50:00.005-04:00

Here is the place to post your ideas for family projects and screen-free ideas for Turn Off week. Any suggestions you have for other parents on how to get away from the screens, to turn off the tube, to say "no" to the dvds and DS in the car etc., can be posted here. (Click on "comments" below).

Speaking from my own experience, once the tv is turned off, the kids really stop asking for it. It simply isn't a part of our lives anymore. And they find other ways to entertain themselves and each other. Don't get me wrong, there are times when a little mindless tube-time would really help me out in terms of keeping them quiet and not at each other for a little while. But I do find that a little from me in terms of getting the kids set up with something can go a long way--especially to buy me that last 45-minutes or so to get dinner on the table.

When you post your ideas, let folks know the ages of the kids that your idea is geared toward at the beginning, i.e. For kids ages 2 to 6, so we know who our audience is.

Please also post your family's ideas for the week's Turn Off Family Project. The possibilities are endless!

Looking forward to reading about your creative strategies!

Turnoff Week @ Third Friday!

2009-04-18T22:40:00.005-04:00

Thanks to all of you for your support at last night's Third Friday in Tarrytown. Main Street was bustling with everyone coming out for this beautiful warm weather after the cold and damp at the beginning of the week.

Many of you picked up your Turn Off Week Family Contracts at the Kids Unplugged table. There will be a link on the blog tomorrow to the Rivertowns Guide website where you will be able to download your own family contract.

The new Kids Unplugged t-shirts were a huge hit. They sport the fancy new logo you see at the top of this page, created by the talented graphic designer and Kids Unplugged supporter Jamie Gehman, Suburbia Roller Derby Mama of three wee ones (how did she find the time?). Thank you so much, Jamie! We'll have the rest of them available on upcoming hikes so get 'em while they're here! By request, we'll have youth larges and grown-up shirts coming soon. You can also email kidsunpluggedny@gmail.com if you'd like.

All proceeds from the sale of the t-shirts will be put toward incorporating Kids Unplugged as an official not-for-profit organization. Many thanks for your continued enthusiasm!

Wacky Wednesday at Brinton Brook

2009-04-15T22:44:00.010-04:00

Brinton Brook Sanctuary in Croton is a great place for an after school hike. The sanctuary is the first of the Saw Mill River Audubon's properties. It has 3-miles of trails through varied terrain, and the pond loop at just over a mile, was just right for an after school hike. The gloomy weather broke just before it was time to head out for the hike and the spring sun followed us up Route 9 to the trailhead.

One of the things that was nice about the pond loop were the nature signs that guided us along the trail and taught us about the flora and fauna in the sanctuary. The rough-hewn stone walls, constructed in some places of very large boulders, made us wonder about the farmland that once stood on the site while we waxed about the idea of going back to what was and wasn't a simpler time.

The kids ran and climbed and rustled and gathered all along the trail. To their delight they discovered an enormous, whimsical climbing tree, and held court in the branches for a while. Of course, no Kids Unplugged event is complete without a shin-deep pond splooge (my kid again). Thankfully the mysterious discovery of a couple of rogue coconuts (the children had many fine theories for their presence) helped to distract attention away from the soggy, muddy socks and back to the joy of the hike.

Another winner. We'll visit again for sure.