June is “Great Outdoors Month” and is full of exciting things to do for kids and adults alike. Join us at “Getting the Dirt on Rocks, Minerals and Soil” workshop for educators, “Conservation Homeschool Day,” the Northern Olentangy Watershed Festival, the Powell Festival and more.
The educators’ workshop, “Getting the Dirt on Rocks, Minerals and Soil,” will be held on June 24 and 25 at Highbanks Metro Park and is geared toward those who work with elementary and middle school kids.
The workshop will be taught by resource professionals from the Delaware and Franklin soil & water conservation districts, Orton Geological Museum and the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio. The fee is $50. Participants may also elect for one semester hour of graduate credit from Ashland University for $175. The workshop will be aligned to the new Ohio science standards. Visit the Delaware Soil & Water Conservation District website at www.delawareswcd.org for more details.
The “Conservation Homeschool Day” is scheduled for Monday, June 22.
From 9 to 11 a.m., hands-on activities will be conducted with homeschool kids ages 5 to 17. The event will take place at the Delaware SWCD Fair Park, located next to the pig and lamb barn at the Delaware County Fairgrounds.
Younger students will learn about animals through furs and activities dealing with wildlife populations and camouflage. Middle-age students will compete in the water Olympics, experience Dutch oven cooking, and participate in raised bed planting at the Fair Park. Older students will experiment with construction of miniature boats and test their creations in a boat race on the waterfall.
The event is free but registration is required. Email [email protected] with questions or to make a reservation.
The second annual Northern Olentangy Watershed (NOW) Festival is scheduled for Saturday, June 20, from noon to 3 p.m. at Mingo Park.
The next weekend is the 19th annual Powell Festival on June 26 and 27 at Village Green Park. Both events are free and will have something interesting and informative for all ages.
Join us at both festivals and try your hand at a scavenger hunt in our soil tunnel and participate in activities about water.
For more information on the NOW Festival, contact Kristen Piper at [email protected]. For all the details on the Powell Festival, visit www.heartofpowell.org.
We challenge you to take a loved one to the great outdoors. We are a nation of planners but great delight can be found in a spontaneous trip to one of our local parks.
Delaware County has an amazing selection of places to walk, fish, bike, wildlife watch, picnic, kayak, geocache and more. The city of Delaware and Preservation Parks of Delaware County, as well as many of our townships and villages, have lands accessible to all ages for free.
Who knows? You may find Great Outdoors Month so invigorating that you decide to celebrate “Great American Backyard Campout Day” on Saturday, June 27.
And remember — Father’s Day is Sunday, June 21. I’m sure Dad and Grandad would enjoy the fun, too!
To learn about our natural resources and ways to conserve them for generations to come, visit the Delaware Soil & Water Conservation District at www.delawareswcd.org or stop by our office at 557-A Sunbury Road in Delaware.
