Getting kids into nature

In an effort to get children into nature more, the Homestead National Monument of America is holding Kids in the Parks adventures on Saturdays.

“This is the perfect way to get kids in the woods and out in the environment,” Monument Ranger Jesse Bolli said.

Bolli is heading up the first program, titled Prairie Plant Prowl, which he said is a chance for the children to learn more about and enjoy the biodiversity at the monument’s tallgrass prairie.

“We’re focusing on the plants living on the prairie here,” he said.

On Wednesday, children visited the park from the Beatrice YMCA for the program, and future expeditions from the Lincoln YMCA are planned as well, Bolli said.

The public is invited to attend the Kids in Parks adventures every Saturday, starting this weekend, through Aug. 2, from 10 a.m.-noon. All the programs are free and all ages are welcome.

The program schedule is, June 28: Prairie Plant Prowl; July 5: Birdie Basics; July 12: The Great Bug Hunt; July 19: Creek Critters; July 26: Elders in the Forest; and Aug. 2: Mammals of the Monument.

The program is part of an effort by national parks to get children outside more, based on concerns raised by the book “No Child Left in the Woods” which talks about how children today are more removed from nature and may suffer nature deficiency disorder, Bolli said.

Wednesday’s program began with an introduction at the Education Center, where the children learned a little about identifying different plants they would see on the prairie.

“We’re focusing on six families of plants,” Bolli said.

Those are sunflower, bean, grasses, mint, sedges and milkweed.

“It’s a fun way to get kids out to the monument,” he said.

During the presentation to the children, Bolli talked about why plants and having many different types of plants are important.

He said plants provide oxygen and food, are used to create medicines and clothing, and even provide shade and are nice to look at.

“Life would not be possible on earth without plants,” Bolli said.

He said there are 260 species of plants that live on the prairie at the monument, with each providing something a little different to the environment.

For example, some are more able to survive shifts in the weather such as droughts, Bolli said. He added that the diversity makes the prairie environment more resistant to diseases, because one disease won’t kill off everything.

Also, some animals have evolved with certain plants, Bolli said, using the monarch butterfly as an example because it feeds on milkweed.

Following the presentation, the children went out onto the prairie with rangers, where they had the chance to see the different plants for real.

The events finished up with a craft project.