Offers lessons, affordable ways to appreciate nature
By Heather Ruenz
SLN staff
Marlene Hodek has been leading Outdoor Adventure in Elkhorn for 34 years and said the program’s goal has remained the same: show kids affordable outdoor activities available in the area.
“Cliff Schiefelbein was the principal at the time. He knew we camped and did a lot of outdoor activities so asked if I was interested. The only rule was to make it fun for the kids,” Hodek said.
Outdoor Adventure is a summer program open to kids in the Elkhorn Area School District who are entering third through sixth grades in the fall, so they are in the age range of 7 to 11.
“Jean Conway started it with me and did it for 22 years. She was great. Karen Powers, who grew up in Elkhorn, has been with me for the past 14 summers and is a tremendous help,” Hodek said with additional staff helping out as needed.
The program initially was held once each summer but grew enough in participation that there are now two sessions offered – one in June, the other in July – from 8 a.m. to noon, five days a week for three weeks. Hodek said in June there were 39 kids, in July, there were 20.
Hodek, who is retired, taught second and third grade at Westside Elementary for 10 years, substitute taught for nine years and then worked with homebound kids and did tutoring for years.
While the activities vary somewhat from summer to summer – some of the choices based on the kids sharing a list of their favorite things at the end of each session – Hodek said there are some they do every year.
“We pick up trash around town and take it to McDonald’s because they let us use their dumpsters and they gave us free ice cream. It’s important to do things in the community you live in, that’s part of what we teach,” Hodek said.
In walks around Elkhorn, the kids learn about local wildflowers, trees and historical sights and often take part in scavenger hunts for maple leafs, a stone the size of a golf ball and various pieces of litter, for example.
“Even ant hills, we teach the kids to observe them, not destroy them and we stress the importance of being quiet, especially when out in nature, to make it more enjoyable,” Hodek said.
On trips outside of Elkhorn, there are a variety of activities on the agenda.
“We go to Scuppernong every year. We walk the trails and there’s Scuppernong Spring where the water is 54 degrees so we see who can hold their hand in the water the longest. The kids love it there,” she said.
Other activities this summer included: fishing in Elkhorn Lake at Babe Mann Park; hiking at Kishwauketoe Nature Conservancy; building sandcastles at Ottawa Lake; hiking and climbing the tower at Lapham Peak State Forest; a trip to Delavan to see the Arboretum, Congdon Park and Veterans Park; a visit to the Geneva Lake Museum; time at Bong Recreation to see egrets, frogs and other wildlife from the boardwalk; fort-building in the woods at Natureland County Park on Whitewater Lake; a visit to State Forest Headquarters, and; a trip to Holy Hill which features a butterfly garden that’s fenced in so the deer can’t get to it.
“We live in a part of the state that’s so full of wonderful things to do, so we show the kids some of those options. Other than needing a state park sticker for some areas, families can go to most of these places for free. Plus, it’s good exercise,” she said.
Speaking of exercise, Hodek tracks the total number of miles the group walks in each session – in June, they walked nearly 42 miles over the span of the three-week class. She said Outdoor Adventure could be referred to as “a walking class. The kids get a little sore the first day or so but quickly learn it’s not hard to walk a couple miles.”
Hodek said at the beginning of each session, a video is shown and a discussion held about how to be safe outdoors.
“It’s all part of the lessons they’re taught about being outdoors and hiking. The kids bring bug spray and sunscreen and water and snacks – all important things to have,” she said.
Rave reviews
At the end of each session, the kids write thank you notes to the staff and share their favorite parts of the summer program. Below are a few samples from the sessions this summer:
“Thank you for the fun field trips. My favorite was the last one because we got to do the water changer and my second favorite was going fishing because it was my first time going fishing,” Justin wrote.
“… The one that I liked the most was when we picked up trash and went to McDonald’s. Thank you so much for taking us all to those places,” Jhenna wrote.
“The thing I liked most was the Geneva Lake Museum… because you can touch things and you can’t do that at most museums. Thank you for taking me to a lot of places that are amazing,” Olivia wrote.
“My favorite part of the class was when we were helping the environment. Thank you for helping me get more into the wilderness,” Kaylee wrote.
“… My #1 favorite trip was Scuppernong because I’m pretty sure what I found was a fossil. I would of liked to know more flowers but because of this class I do know a lot more flowers. Once again thank you for everything,” Kirby wrote.
“Thank you for everything. My favorite part of this class was Natureland. I really liked building the forts. Thank you for being there for us when we had a question,” Ila wrote.
“I love nature. It is beautiful and awesome… Thank you for everything,” Clover wrote.
Hodek said even after all these years, she still feels as thought the class is making a positive impact – now and in the future.
“A lot of the kids have never fished or spent much time outdoors at some of the places we take them. So even though we untangle a lot of lines, hopefully it’s turning them on to fishing and nature,” she said.
“The kids are cute. At first they don’t say too much but after a few days of class, they come in and ask, ‘Where are we going today?’ or ‘What are we going to do?’ You can tell they get excited about what the next adventure is,” she said.
“All you have to do is point things out to kids – even shapes and formations in the clouds – anything to help them learn to look around their environment. There’s a whole world out there and it’s important to enjoy it.”
