Posted in Field Trips
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I just want to state up front that we are not big into celebrating "Halloween". That just happens to be the name of the event we attended. This event is always a week to ten days before the end of October.
Every year the local Natural Resources Conservation Board hosts a Halloween Hike in our county park. Each year there is a different theme that they follow and they perform 6 skits at various areas along the trail. This year's theme was Fairy Tales and in a previous year when we attended, the theme was Television Shows. As the actors perform their skits, they weave in education about the park, natural resources, animal habitat, endangered animals, etc. This is the second year we attended and we thoroughly enjoyed it and learned a lot.
Fairy Tales used this year were: 1. Shrek (overdevelopment) 2. Cinderella (natural beauty) 3. Snow White (wise use of energy and other resources) 4. Three Little Pigs (protecting habitat) 5. Ugly Duckling (endangered species) 6. Hansel and Gretel (using maps, compasses and GPS)
They have groups of 25-30 people leave the railroad depot approximately every 10 minutes (you sign up for a slot ahead of time). The night before, they host a pumpkin carving contest and then the jack-o-lanterns and other luminaries light the path through the park as you hike to the various skits. It took us just under an hour to complete the hike and when we returned to the depot, there was hot chocolate, hot apple cider, popcorn and cookies waiting.
Perhaps you can convince your local conservation board to start up something like this. I know a lot work goes into this each year and it takes at least 40 volunteers, but what a huge educational outreach they make all in one night. I like that it is family oriented and not a drop off your kids here and pick them up here 2 hours later. |
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