Summer Fun Begins!
July 13, 2015
With the arrival (finally!) of sunny and warm July weather, summer programming is off to a great start at the Downeast Lakes Land Trust. The first week is in the books of two ongoing series’ of children’s classes that highlight different outdoor activities and lessons titled, “Explorations and Adventures” and “Serious Skills for Boys and Girls,” held right here in Grand Lake Stream.
This past Tuesday, DLLT volunteers Patty and Barry Weeks, led a lesson in Nature Journaling. In the first installment of “Explorations and Adventures,” children learned how to create their own journals, using generously donated materials by the Weeks’, and were busy gluing, binding, stapling, and decorating their new writing pads. With pads and pencils in hand, students ventured out on a short walk through town to practice some sensory writing exercises, led by DLLT’s Education and Outreach Manager Colin Brown. As they headed along the canal and over the dam, children wrote Haiku and observed their surroundings, learning about the importance of recording observations in nature.
On Thursday, the “Serious Skills for Boys and Girls” program was led by Maine Master Guide and DLLT volunteer, Al LaPlante, where Orienteering and Geocaching was the topic of the day. Students first learned valuable map and compass skills, practiced their pacing, and reading a bearing. After refreshing their compass abilities, Al introduced lessons on proper use of a handheld GPS and Geocaching. A popular new activity, Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices. Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (a small container) hidden at that location. The group was given a sneak peek at DLLT’s brand new Geocache course, to be introduced later this year. After the long hike through the woods, students were treated to a small “treasure” located inside the Geocache, and learned about a fun and exciting new hobby.
Be sure to look for exciting upcoming Downeast Lakes Land Trust activities for both children and adults here. For more information about programs and events, please contact us at (207) 796 – 2100 or by emailing cbrown@downeastlakes.org.
