Kids’ recreational programming is on when school’s out for Presidents’ Day weekend. The low-impact scavenger hunt at Wood Lake Nature Center in Richfield is a free alternative for parents and children to enjoy the outdoors together. This scavenger hunt will have you and your troop looking up, down and all around as you enjoy the 150-acre expanse of natural areas. A great way to keep your young ones active and engaged for hours, this challenge includes no-brainers like feathers, leaves and various categories of human-produced litter, as well as trickier queries, like animal tracks. The hunt also includes audio targets like birdcalls and woodpecker hammering. If you follow two simple rules of play—stay within three feet of marked trails and pick up all non-glass litter—you can keep your impact on the wildlife habitat light.
For an even lower environmental impact, print the scavenger hunt list and take your little scavengers hunting at close to home locales like Rosland Park or Pamela Park. Better yet, try it out in your own backyard, where you may or may not succeed in spotting “a bird with nesting material in its beak.” You can also encourage your kids to write their own scavenger hunt; prizes for completion, or a noble effort, are up to you.
Why not reward the children with more play-based learning opportunities? Braemar Golf Dome and the Southdale YMCA each offer drop-off options for $40 or less per child. (See calendar of events on page 44 for further details.) The Works Museum in Bloomington has extended hours on Presidents’ Day, so you can keep your kids’ thinking gears turning ‘til 5 p.m. Admission is $8 per person and free for children under two.
