Saturday’s spring temperatures beckoned area families outdoors to Rosewood Beach to take part in a kite-flying adventure.
Up Up and Away, hosted by the Park District of Highland Park, provided hands-on kite building and kite flying from 1-2:30 p.m.
Heller Nature Center’s nature program coordinator and teacher, Phelicia Jozwiak, says that with springtime, families are rejuvenated and excited to be outside again.
“It’s good to see people connecting with nature and with each other – families working together and enjoying Highland Park’s unique set of local natural resources,” Jozwiak said.
Up Up and Away Kite Building was introduced last year as a school program, and this year has become one of many public programs offering area families a connection to nature.
Molly Shepard of Highland Park attended with family.
“We love flying kites together, and Rosewood Beach is a beautiful place to come together to welcome spring,” Shepard said.
For a registration fee of $20 per kite, participants were invited to create their own kite, choosing between a classic diamond shape kite or a box kite.
Families were encouraged to work together, first to construct and decorate a kite, and then to put their creations to the test by flying them along Rosewood Beach.
Heller Nature Center instructor Brittany Shirley led Saturday’s program. Shirley says it gets people out and do something together as a family, gives them a chance to collaborate, and to problem solve while connecting to nature.
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Angie Heotis of Northbrook also attended.
“It’s been a long winter and a long wait for spring – we couldn’t wait to get to the beach, to fly a kite and run in the sand,” Heotis said.
Patrick O’Carroll of Highland Park attended with family.
“Now that we have begun to thaw out a bit, we are waiting for everything to bloom. This is definitely kite-flying season,” O’Carroll said.
The Up Up and Away Kite Building program is designed for children ages 6 and up, all accompanied by an adult.
According to Jozwiak, initially, there can be disbelief among participants that their kites would actually fly.
“At the moment when the kite actually lifts off, regardless of age, that is confidence building,” Jozwiak said.
Gina Grillo is a freelancer for Pioneer Press.