Schuckman: Introducing kids to beauty of outdoors is summer nature program’s biggest success

QUINCY — The caterpillar stole the show.

The hog-nosed snake turned out to be a solid opening act, and the building of birdhouses kept the group of elementary-age boys and girls active and engaged for the better part of an hour Wednesday morning.

But when they noticed the caterpillar sunning itself on one of the benches at the Bob Bangert Park outdoor classroom, everything else seemed inconsequential.

The students in the Quincy Park District’s summer nature program — many of them from Cheerful Home through a partnership that has been both beneficial and enlightening — wanted to hold the caterpillar or allow it to climb across their little hands.

It served as a reminder of what the program is designed to be.

It is an introduction to the outdoors that peels away any fears and provides the next generation with an appreciation for animals, trees and plants that can last a lifetime.

On the surface, you may not see that. The projects, like building a birdhouse, may seem like an activity designed to occupy their attention and energy, and the snacks these kids enjoy — animal crackers, applesauce, bottles of water, etc. — are a way to keep that energy going.

That is until you dive in and experience what is being taught.

There is a true method to the madness Doris Sanders, who orchestrates the nature program, creates each week. Most classes begin with a nature walk, which may be a treasure hunt for feathers and nuts or a lesson in leaves and types of trees. The activity that follows is where the real lessons are.

Thanks to the work of Glenn Sanders, president of the Mississippi Valley Hunters and Fishermen’s Association, Daniel Miller, the MVHFA intern, and several volunteers within the organization, the kids were able to piece together their own birdhouse, which they were able to take home.

Each birdhouse kit had five pieces of wood pre-cut and drilled to make it easy for the kids to assemble. MVHFA members Mark Derhake, Terrier Deverger, Jerry Robinson and Mike Stark helped the kids get the screws started, taught them how to use battery-operated screw drivers and tightened the screws when the little arms couldn’t create enough torque to finish.

More than anything else, they taught the kids the values of patience, persistence, concentration and effort. It took all of those qualities to put each birdhouse together, make sure each piece was in the right place and complete the task before a distraction, like a caterpillar, took hold.

Thankfully, the snake and lizards Glenn Sanders caught were show-and-tell moments before the birdhouses were assembled.

The hogshead snake, which was about 12 inches long, had the kids mesmerized, especially when Sanders held it so the kids could see its tongue tickle the air. Sanders allowed the kids to touch the snake, leading to one boy telling everyone “it feels like a gummy worm.”

Ultimately, the snake was released back into the wild with the throng of youngsters watching it slither away.

They then chased the six-lined racerunner lizards as Sanders released them, and the lizards lived up to their name — zipping away in a blink.

Those two moments are the ones those kids will tell their parents about and remember when they see a snake or a lizard on TV or in a book. They won’t be frightened and skittish. They’ll have the knowledge that comes from experience.

Every class, every bus ride, every moment involved in making the nature program a success is a step closer to knowing the next generation will share a love for the outdoors, an appreciation for the land and the water, and the desire to put electronics aside and breathe the fresh air.

Sometimes, all it takes is an introduction to make that possible.

Having a caterpillar nearby never hurts either.