Inside Outside Michiana Summer Guide 2015

Last summer, I made a guide for summer. Find it here. It has been one of the most popular posts on the blog and many moms and grandparents tell me it is an excellent resource. I'm updating it for 2015 as prices change and new areas to explore pop up. This is concentrated on Elkhart County, though there are many great places a short drive away. See other places below the table. Feel free to share additional places we should explore. Thanks!

Every child should have mud pies, grasshoppers, water bugs, tadpoles, frogs, mud turtles, elderberries, wild strawberries, acorns, chestnuts, trees to climb, brooks to wade, water lilies, woodchucks, bats, bees, butterflies, various animals to pet, hayfields pine cones, rocks to roll, sand, snakes, huckleberries, and hornets. And any child who has been deprived of these has been deprived of the best part of education.

 –Luther Burbank

Michiana Summer Guide 2015

By Dr. Carla Gull

insideoutsidemichiana@gmail.com

Finding Nature in Art at the Midwest Museum of Art

I went to a meeting at the Midwest Museum of American Art recently. I had been to see this annual exhibit of work done by local high school students as part of a tour with my preschooler a couple of years ago and was amazed with what the students had done! It's back! Read about our prior experience here. It also includes several quotes about nature and art--I love this intersect!

As I walked through the current designs, I found several that reflected nature, such as this contrasting log.

I also really liked this fox made of sticks and metal. A photo included a face covered in flowers.

A photo with fall leaves lined the wall.

Upcycled art portrayed flowers and plants!

A night sky is depicted well.

These birds are beautiful! I felt like I was looking out my window!

These cherry blossoms reminded me of my time living in Japan, going to Cherry Blossom festivals!

This creature was stick again. It reminds me somewhat of the twig sculpture up at Fernwood by Patrick Daugherty. What a neat experience to be involved in the process! This butterfly cam off the wall and the picture!

Other drawing depicted trees. I felt like I was right there!

I love seeing the creativity of these students. To create art that includes nature means that students are getting outside and noticing nature! I love this! 

Like Nature and Art?

Read about Elkhart County Park's Photo Contest.

A blog series on Nature and Art: 30 Days of Nature Art.

Finding Nature at the Elkhart County 4-H Fair

It's fair time at the Elkhart County 4-H Fair! That means many families and others are heading out in droves to consume fair food, look at the exhibits, and listen to the entertainment. We also had to check out the new activities and see the boys' projects. I'm sure we will be back, so look for  nature filled updates.

A fun new experience (Thanks, Jayco for sponsoring it!) is the Kidz Science Safari. It's like a small, portable science museum. We love science museums! Strollers and wagons and such should be left outside. We left the stroller out and just took our valuables inside. No food or drinks are allowed either, which is understandable in a hands-on place like this. There were plenty of activities!

 

Holograms and Lasers at ETHOS Science Center

We love going to the Sneak Peek Science nights at ETHOS Science Center in Elkhart! It is usually the third Thursday of the month in the evening. We arrived right after a bus pulled up and they shared a couple of the passes with us. The cost is a dollar per person. In March the theme was holograms and lasers. Many of the rooms had extra special activities to explore the theme. In addition, all the regular displays are up. While we have been there many times, we still like going back and interacting with the displays. The first room we visited had holograms that we needed to use flashlights to see. Others were displayed on the wall and around the room to see floating images and special tricks.

A Winter Walk At Wellfield

The other day when it was about 14 degrees out, my son and I went for a walk at Wellfield Botanic Gardens on "Pay What It's Worth" Tuesday. It would have only cost about $5 to go; however, Tuesdays are special days. I hear next Tuesday is 0 degrees. While we're all about getting outside, we might try for this "warmer" weekend instead.

As you can see, it was CHILLY and a little windy. Good gloves (mine were not as good!) and a hood made a huge difference for my son.

Our Town Elkhart: Nature!

Not too long ago, I helped out with a documentary by WNIT called Our Town: Elkhart. WNIT put out a call to videographers to help see Elkhart through different perspectives. I signed up for a slot on NATURE! Lucky me, I got to traipse around all the beautiful spots in Elkhart. Here are a few of the notes as I prepared for my interview, reflecting on why I chose nature as my topic. The show was aired August 18th.

Audubon Society Hike at Boot Lake Nature Preserve

This last Saturday morning, my husband took the kids to soccer while I went on a bird hike with the South Bend-Elkhart Audubon Society. I recently became a member, though the hikes are open to others interested in birds. I was just at Boot Lake in July while working on a segment for Our Town Elkhart. True to form, I did take at least one wrong turn getting out there--I guess I don't follow my own advice on checking the directions before leaving. It was neat to see the fall changes since my last visit was in the middle of summer.

We took the trail by the gate over to the left as we entered. It took us past the tree nursery, prairie, out to an overlook that is hard to see through the trees, and through the woods to a pier over the water. This let us a see a variety of habitats. Everyone was very friendly and talked amongst themselves as we walked. 

There are nesting boxes throughout the area. I saw many frogs in them before. One of the hikers found a turkey feather and stuck it in a tree to delight someone later. 

Walker Park

We went to Walker Park in the north side of Elkhart this last week. While we've been here several times before, there were a few things I learned and/or took note of in more detail.

1. The park has a large open, grassy area in the center. This is a perfect place for a large game or flying kites as there is nothing overhead.

ETHOS Science Sneak Peek: Space

We checked out ETHOS Science Sneak Peek: Space in Elkhart again this week! ETHOS Science Center has hosted a themed science activity night monthly for the last several months. We've enjoyed the ones we were able to attend: WATER and Summer Science Camps. I also really liked the Astronomy lesson I went to on the Science2Go Bus. If your child goes to school in the area, I highly suggest encouraging your school to schedule the bus for a trip!

Places to Walk for Free or at a Low Cost in Elkhart

Elkhart is a great place to connect with nature. Many people enjoying taking a walk or jogging outside for exercise and appreciate that time to rejuvenate. I have noticed some discontent about Wellfield Botanic Garden charging for admission recently, as some people feel they no longer have a place to walk in the city. I see this is a period of change. While I have not been around for the whole transformation, I did see the move to charging for admission. I didn't like it as much, either, as I live outside of Elkhart city limits. I thought I would just go to special events. I knew I just needed to pay for my own entrance as my 4 younger children would not have to pay admission. I did go to Spring Marketplace and Envirofest. Both were neat events where we enjoyed the beauty of the gardens, music, and learned of great resources in our extended community. Then, Wellfield recently extended free entrance on Tuesdays to all, calling it a "pay what it's worth" day. So, we have options and I would consider a membership if I lived closer or started using the gardens more regularly. There are great options here that allow us to take a walk in the beauty of Wellfield.

Cobus Creek: Summer Time!

Cobus Creek is such a fun place to be. We haven't been recently, so was surprised to see the changes that summer brings. Here is a hike we took here on a mild winter day. I really like the diversity of habitats at Cobus Creek. There is a prairie area, meadow, river, woods, pond, and more! It's on the far west side of Elkhart, very close to the county line road, so it's very accessible to both Elkhart, Granger, and Mishawaka. When I was visiting this last Saturday, the pavilion was busy. People had music, were enjoying the beach volleyball area, and were gathering at the park. It was good to see people out in nature!

Boot Lake Nature Preserve

I am helping with an Our Town: Elkhart video with WNIT, taking film footage around town in Elkhart.  Can you guess that I chose NATURE as my topic? I tromped out to Boot Lake Nature Preserve, all by myself! I think I was the only person out there, too, besides the farmer plowing his field next to it. I've been here a couple of times in the past, but it's been a while. I HIGHLY suggest printing the trail map before you go and studying it a bit to know what to expect. Sometimes I take a picture of one before I go on a hike, but didn't see one (and forgot and/or thought I didn't need it since I'd been there previously). Looking at the map now, I can see where I went AND I noticed there is supposed to be a photographer's blind there. Now I want to go back and try it out.

I also suggest reviewing the driving directions to Boot Lake. It is in the far north side of Elkhart and I've gotten lost a couple of times getting there. It's almost in Michigan. Watch for signs as you get closer.

Rhapsody in GREEN!

I stopped by Rhapsody in Green on Saturday. I loved seeing the flags across the bridges!