Outdoor Day

When I learned that there was an outdoor discovery center only a few miles from our house, I decided that attending their Outdoor Day was a must. Considering that EVERYTHING was free, I didn't see how we could go wrong. Jeremy was playing in a golf tournament and Jeff was riding bike so Janell and I loaded up our children and headed out.

It took us a while to figure out how the event was working and at first it looked like the day was going to be a dud. There were free t-shirts for adults and children so we went to that table first hoping to find someone "in charge" who could give us directions. At that point the children did not want shirts and we didn't find a knowledgeable person. So we headed into the lodge. There were exhibits from local outdoor venues including the zoo. When Aliza saw a hawk (she was positive it was a turkey buzzard) she wanted nothing to do with the building and we still didn't find anyone who knew what was going on.

The next obvious thing to do was fishing in the pond. The boy scouts were there to help. All the children wanted to fish. Thankfully Janell and I remembered how to cast and we were pretty much able to keep the children busy fishing.

There was no catching. Josiah, though, he was determined that he was going to fish until he caught a fish! The girls were ready to eat. They had hotdogs, chips, drinks and s'mores for lunch. I finally got Josiah to give up fishing for a bag of chips and soda.

I finally found someone knowledgeable about the event and we took the hayride taxi to the first station--archery. NOW the children were having fun and Janell and I were pretty well sold on the event. There was a man to help every child. They talked about safety rules and instructed the child on how to stand and hold the bow etc.

This guy was really great with Josiah.

Next stop--BB gun shooting. The Air Rifle Club sponsored this station. There was one volunteer per 2 children. They gave brief instructions. Aliza and Josiah were almost too young to do this, but they enjoyed the experience.

Josiah actually hit the target paper on 4 out of 5 shots. He was so incredibly excited and determined. I think he's ready for some Uncle Brian coaching.

Our last stop was the farm pond. SU brought kayaks and students to help. I felt much better when one guy student (who very much reminded my children of Uncle Joel) promised to personally swim out and rescue any child if they kayak tipped over. Then he said he could actually walk out...the water was very shallow. Janell ended up taking 2 trips with children and Josiah loved it so much and wanted to go out again with me. (Getting out of a kayak being pregnant was not very flattering. lol)

By this time it was 2pm and the event was closing and we had exhausted children and Mommys! (We have told our husbands that we would very much enjoy their company next year!) Aliza and Josiah made me promise that we could go again next year.