Program gets families outside, exploring Mittineague park

Date: 1/9/2015

WEST SPRINGFIELD – Winter days can easily discourage families from getting outside and into the fresh air, but the West Springfield Parks and Recreation Department is giving residents a reason to embrace nature, even in the cold.

Environmental educator Nancy Condon has begun leading the Family Nature Adventures Series through the West Springfield Parks and Recreation Department, with its first program on Jan. 10 at 10 a.m.

The series provides programming for families, including a themed hike and an activity to help round out the day’s discoveries, which can be anything from winter birds to planets. The program will give children the opportunity to explore Mittineague Park and all of its resources, including the UNICO building, Condon said.

The Nature Adventure Series is best suited for children six and older and will take place on Saturdays, lasting for roughly two hours.

Condon said that the program gives families a chance to take a step back and enjoy the natural world.

“I’m a big advocate for promoting kids to get outside and encouraging kids to get outside and to play in the outdoors and see how fascinating it is outside,” Condon said. “If parents and kids can do that together that’s even better, to get them away from their electronics for a little to hear bird songs or see tracks in the snow. It’s purely healthy, healthy for anybody to get outside and get some exercise.”

The first program being offered, “Winter Birds,” will take families throughout the park looking at birds that do not fly south for the winter months. Condon said they will learn “the adaptations that they have to allow them to [stay here for the winter]” and then make their own bird feeders to take home. Participants just need to bring a hammer and “a can-do spirit,” Condon said.

Victoria Connor, Director of the Parks and Recreation Department, approached Condon with the opportunity to run a program through the department that would “get families outside together playing and enjoying the outdoors together,” Condon said. Previous to this, Condon led the Student Environmental Education Classroom program, which works with third and fifth graders to teach them about different habitats.

While Condon said that this is a chance to show off West Springfield’s Mittineauge Park, it is also a chance for residents to appreciate these resources.

“It’s to encourage people to enjoy and learn about nature, to appreciate what we have outdoors and to take care of it,” Condon said.

To learn more about the Family Nature Adventure Series or to preregister for programs, visit www.wsparkandrec.com or call 781-3020.