During the month of June Lisa Tracy taught an interested group of children all about frogs (pictured here), and she conducted another June session where she introduced children to the wonders of butterflies. Photos courtesy of Ilena Hansel
Cooperation Station, a nature playschool, offered a series of Discover our Neighborhood learning sessions throughout the summer. There were five sessions to connect young children to the ecosystem around them. The program focused on the area of the Lake Superior Coastal Zone.
In May, the series was kicked off with Rocks led by Margie Menzies from Sugarloaf Cove. In June, Lisa Tracy led two sessions, one on butterflies and one on frogs. In July, two Bugs (slugs and spiders too!) were held due to the high demand. Karen Kobey led the sessions. In August, Community partners came together to lead Fish and Water.
There was an average of 30 kids at each session, for a total of 181 kids brought together this summer for these learning experiences. The series was a success in part due to all the partners involved which include Cook County SWCD, Sugarloaf Cove, local DNR, local USFS, Skyport Lodge, Grand Marais Recreation Park, and local biologists who helped in designing and leading the programs. On average eight volunteers assisted with each session to help work with the kids and manage stations.
Top: Karen Kobey teaches wiggly kids all about wiggly minnows and life that lives in water. Above left: An excited pink hat explorer discovers which rock is heavier. Above right: A young explorer shows off a worm she found at Bugs and Slugs.
There were many highlights from the summer. A few examples include a child catching her first fish. Kids can be heard making the sounds of different frogs, observed playing like they are minnows or moving like fish, investigating spiders to see if they are male or female, and talking about lava rocks and volcanoes that used to be here.
In addition to the sessions the funding for these sessions provided the opportunity for Cooperation Station to put together educational kits for each of the topics taught in the summer. They are available for free to check out from Cooperation Station for early childhood programming.
Contact Cooperation Station at 387-1324 if you are interested in learning more. The sessions and kits were made possible with funding from a grant from NOAA’s Office of Coastal Management to the Minnesota DNR for the Minnesota’s Lake Superior Coastal Program.
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