ROGERS -- Nature is in abundance for children at the spring break day camp at Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area this week.
"I feel free when I'm outside," said Mary Katherine Morgan, 10.
Web Watch
For more information about events at Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area visit: www.friendsofhobbs.….
"It smells better outside," said Rebekah Weber, 10.
The two friends said they liked playing tag even better at the park because it was a game of predators and prey. Rebekah was the first person Mary Katherine tagged during her turn as "it." She had imagined herself as a bobcat for her predator.
"I think they're fierce," she said.
The goal of the three-day camp is to connect the children with nature with hands-on activities, said Rebekah Penny, interpreter. The camp runs through today and the group will play outdoors, learn about nature conservation, walk trails, flip logs and journal about what they learn.
There is a science connected to the beauty of nature, Penny said. Ozark soil may be rocky, but every tree that falls hosts ants, millipedes and beetles that break it back down to enrich the soil. That, in turn, helps regrowth.
Children need to understand the natural cycle to be informed decision makers when they grow up, Penny said. The day camp was for children ages 9 to 12 years old.
Steve Chyrchel, interpreter, talked to them about making good decisions while outdoors by "leaving no mark" where they've been. Staying on the trail is important, Chyrchel told the group, and taking things from a state park is against the law in Arkansas.
Picking wildflowers from a state park means that others won't be able to enjoy them and takes food from the deer, he said. A fallen deer antler provides calcium to field mice. He compared grabbing a handful of acorns to walking into the kitchen to find a 600-pound squirrel eating all their food.
"That's all a part of nature's grocery store out there," Chyrchel said.
Luke Green, 9, said his favorite part of camp was learning about animal tracks. He's seen bobcat, raccoon and cottontail rabbit tracks before. Deer leave prints around the pond near his house, Luke said.
"It can tell nature stories like whether they're running or not," he said.
Meera Arunkumar, 10, said she liked learning about nature and flowers and animals. She said she doesn't have a favorite animal.
"I like anything that is warm and fuzzy and cute and friendly," Meera said.
Allison Payerli, 11, said the camp was a time to hang out with friends.
Weather on Thursday sent the group indoors.
Penny challenged the group to earn their junior explorer badges through their day camp experiences.
"Nature is more than beautiful. It's a functional system," she told the group.
NW News on 03/27/2015