The Enchanted Forest

Friday night (before we went to Columbus...it was a busy weekend) we took the kids to The Wilderness Center's Enchanted Forest. It was a really cute fall nature activity. It was a night-time hike on a nature trail, lead by "fireflies" (robed volunteers carrying lanterns) lined with jack-o-lanterns. Every so often there would be a stop where there would be a person dressed up and they would do a little talk about themselves (dirt, slug, raccoon, spider, luna moth, skunk). Some of the talks were a little above my kids, but I think they all (well, maybe not my little guy. He kept wandering off during the talks and trying to light leaves on fire in the jack-o-lanterns--pyro) learned something.

I like doing activities like that with my kids because I feel like it gives them a better sense of the natural world around them. Besides getting them out in nature, it gives them a real look at what the REAL world looks like, beyond our suburban backyard. I don't want my kids to be one of those that actually thinks food comes from the grocery store, not realizing that it's grown somewhere before it gets there. Having a respect for animals is really important to me, and taking my kids to the wilderness center is a great way for me to impart that to my kids. We're ALWAYS talking about respecting our pets feelings (when she hisses and her ears are flat, that means the cat doesn't like being carried like a baby). It's important for me to make sure my kids know that when we talk about being green, on the most basic level, like not littering, they can see what nature is supposed to look like and what we're destroying we when litter. Plus, it's just nice to unplug and hike around a little!