The day was cold and rainy, but that didn’t stop dozens of families from coming out Jan. 9 to the annual Winter Open House at Dunes Learning Center.
The day’s agenda included entertainment, games, craft sessions for children, opportunities to learn about winter ecology through hands-on education programs and a 30-minute trail hike.
“Our kids are getting used to doing family things in the cold weather. They enjoy the fresh air, just like we do,” said James Leif, of Chesterton, as he and his sons lined up for the stroll through the woods. “If you dress warm, everything’s OK.”
Leif’s family joined more than 100 visitors as they socialized, listened to live music and toured some of the cabins on the grounds.
“We heard about this Open House from my son’s teacher, “said Lynda Parkerson, of Valparaiso. “My niece’s school took a field trip here last year, and she also praised the facility.”
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The Dunes Learning Center, a 63-acre campus, offers day camps as well as overnight options to give students a chance to experience nature.
The year-round curriculum and standards-based experiential environmental education programs are geared for learners of all ages.
Located within the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, the campus occupies 63 acres of woodland at the southern tip of Lake Michigan.
In addition to the outdoor trail hike that rainy Saturday, many other activities were offered inside and outside the Learning Center.
Inside, families warmed up with hot chocolate and cookies, visited the various craft tables and listened to the Center’s naturalists discuss winter behavior of wildlife.
“This is a nice way to introduce the kids to the outdoors,” said Kyle Pennington, of Merrillville, as his daughters tried their hands at designing a suede pouch. “I hear the camps here are the greatest around.”
Inside one of the cabins, the Center’s naturalists helped youngsters fashion a small teepee from colorful pipe cleaners and modeling clay.
Mike Duffin and his son Finnian, 6, of Porter, took advantage of this opportunity to bring home a souvenir.
“This is fun, It’s taking a while, but I’m doing it,” Finnian said as he twisted his pipe cleaners. “My dad’s helping so it’s ok.”
The Open House activities gave the public a chance to explore the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore campus in winter and experience firsthand the acclaimed programs that are usually only available to visiting school groups, according to Geof Benson, executive director of Dunes Learning Center. “Our naturalist staff has a knack for inspiring curiosity and making learning fun. We can all benefit from being a kid for a day!”
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is one of the 408 units of the National Park Service, ranging from Yellowstone National Park to the Statue of Liberty.
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore includes 15 miles of the southern shoreline of Lake Michigan and 15,000 acres of beach, woods, marshes and prairie. More than 2 million people visit this national park each year.
Sue Ellen Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.