Outdoor adventures are things to be had by all children.
That train of thought presides throughout the Janet Huckabee Arkansas River Valley Nature Center’s Summer Program Schedule, which aims to educate children while keeping them away from iPads and TVs in between school years, said Kendra Ingle, an education and instruction specialist at the center.
These activities include archery, a BB gun and sling-shot range, fishing, guided hikes, Laser Shot sessions, canoeing, kayaking, campfire programs and more, she said.
“The cool thing about the program schedule this summer is, all of these activities are tied to outdoor skills,” Ingle said. “It’s about how to get these kids out and about — to get them involved in activities.”
The schedule includes a “Nature Break” activities for children ages 3-7 at 3:45 p.m. Fridays and archery sessions at 2:30 p.m. Sundays, while each Saturday offers a guided hike (9 a.m.), a canoe and kayak program (10 a.m. to noon) and Laser Shot (3 p.m.).
“The Laser Shot is a computer-simulated event, and it’s a lot of fun for kids,” Ingle said. “Children will have guns that shoot out lasers, and there’s different hunting scenarios — duck, quail and so on — that people can participate in and enjoy.”
The center’s Critter Crunch begins at 2 p.m. each day, with the snake feeding taking place on Fridays and fish feeding set for Saturdays.
“The Critter Crunch is always a fun thing we do — people do love it,” Ingle said. “For the Critter Crunch, we see and feed something different each day.”
The Owl Prowl & Summer Night Hike will begin at 8:30 p.m. July 11, with participants set to stroll along Wells Lake Road at the Beaver Creek Tail, with participants searching for — and calling — owls. A Back to School Bash is on tap for 7:30 p.m. Aug. 8, with students making wildlife journals to set goals to monitor wildlife throughout the year.
“These programs here at the Janet Huckabee Arkansas River Valley Nature Center each will draw anywhere between 10 and 50 children, and they’re a lot more than just going for a hike outside,” said Karen Westcamp-Johnson, an education program specialist at the center. “The Summer Program Schedule is more tied to our mission with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, dealing with and promoting activities such as archery, boating, fishing and other activities.”
In the past, the center’s summer schedule was “more nature-related,” but this year, the activities will take a more hands-on, educational approach, she said.
“These programs are actually teaching the children a skill that can be easily tied to wildlife management,” Westcamp-Johnson said. “This teaches them a skill they can do in the long term.”
Ingle said she wasn’t sure exactly how many children will participate in the programs, since the activities don’t require registration. She added that “thousands surely” will benefit from the activities.
Westcamp-Johnson said she predicted many of the participating children will be out-of-state residents visiting local family members. Various groups also bring children to the nature center during the summer months, she said.
“The kids are thrilled to have these activities here,” Ingle said. “We always get one child who previously didn’t spend a lot of time outdoors, but once that child gets going with our outdoor activities, there’s no stopping that child.
“And the kids are like all of us,” she added. “The more time the children spend doing activities outdoors, the more they will feel comfortable being in the outdoors. They will want to spend more time outside, and that’s the plan.”