Inner Tubes and Disc Golf

What a gorgeous day not too long ago. We knew we had to get outside of the house and the boys had an inner tubing date with the Pay It Forward 4-H Club. The group has great leaders. They typically do service projects and learn how to help in their community, yet this weekend they were taking the kids inner tubing for a fun afternoon! 

To inner tube at Ferrettie Baugo, you pay an entrance fee at the gate (currently $4/car for in county or $5/car for out of county). It is just over the line into St. Joseph County Parks. Pay for tubing at the front gate, too, getting a tag to give permission and access to the tubing hill. I asked about the lower age and the gate attendant told me 3, so we did not get a pass for our youngest, who is only 2. Our tag said it's not recommended for under 3. While he was interested, I was happy taking turns entertaining him on the sidelines. It was great to be outside for a longer time. 

Science Alive!

I love finding great quality activities for our family to do! It's even better when they are free, educational, and fun! Science Alive, at the downtown South Bend St. Joseph County Public Library, definitely fits the bill. We've been several times in the past and still enjoy returning. I was lucky this weekend and was flying solo with just one of my sons on a "date". We used to do this more often and I've missed doing this. And, after the night at an exhibit opening with a 2-year-old the night before, I was happy to have a happy and complacent 8-year-old as my side kick.

For Science Alive, the downtown library is transformed with tables and people to make science come alive. It's a great place to learn about area resources and get a chance to do hands on science! Our first stop was Fernwood Botanical Gardens. We looked at skulls, touched furs, and learned about adaptations. It looks like they have some great summer camps coming up! We've enjoyed visiting there in the past.

Sugar Camp Days!

This is our second year visiting Sugar Camp Days at Bendix Woods County Parks! What a tasty adventure! Here is our report from 2013 if you are interested.

There are several areas within Bendix Woods for the event. We started near the historical encampment where we found candle dipping. My kids have done this many, many times so we skipped it, but many children were enjoying it! I know mine have enjoyed it in the past.

While it's neat to see the encampments, I really enjoy talking to the people more as they share information about the time period they represent, how artifacts were used, and bring to life the past. 

 

Nature Center at Bendix Woods County Park

We stopped by the Children's Discovery Room at Bendix Woods County Park during the Sugar Camp Days. I took a few pictures to let you know what to expect at the area. I love the park in general as there are plenty of natural spaces, playgrounds, and the nature center. Bendix Woods County Park has many amenities, such as hiking trails, ponds, fields, mountain bike trails, and the famous Studebaker pine trees. I've seen beautiful pictures of trillium in the spring as well.

In the Children's Discovery Room, I loved this area for young children! I like the mirror down low, dress up items nearby, flowers to plant, etc. Everything is kid friendly and meant to explore.

Across from this area is a "dark" room where we crossed over into the night. Various nocturnal animals were highlighted, as well as a guide to the planets. 

Displays on the wall help the visitor explore and interact with nature more. 

This section is neat as it looks at life under the soil. I liked the interactive aspect of finding the right animal that fits with the tunnel. There is actually a tunnel right here that children can crawl through to go to the Night World room, further extending the experience underground. 

 

This display on soil really let us know what all is happening under the ground! I know as spring approaches, I'm glad to see more and more of my yard as the snow melts. 

There were a couple of displays on birds, looking at "tools of the trade" and different parts of a bird. The Birds & Blooms display helps the viewer know what to name when describing a bird during observation.

There is a small viewing window with information about typical birds and blooms that might be seen out the window. I like how these are easily accessible in a handy bin on the wall. The discovery drawers were also neat, with interesting artifacts to explore and learn more about.

Another exploration area included animals on the wall, build a forest scene and other items on the floor. Since we were there for Sugar Camp Days there were also Pioneer toys out for play, along with the normal books, blocks, and other items.  

Another area had a small winter display and pictures of animals to categorize on the magnetic side of the display case. 

The building also houses offices for staff at the park and a multi purpose room. It had a display on maple sugaring at Bendix Woods when we visited, though they may change it out from time to time. 

It's great to have another option to explore nature in the Michiana area. I would combine this with a hike and a stop at the playground if I took my children. What a fun way to get outside while exploring through play and learning about nature! 

Snowshoeing!

We braved the cold to get in on snowshoeing while we still had plenty of snow this last Saturday. We had all our kids and 2 cousins. Thankfully we had a deal through Wild Wednesdays for half of us. I only went snowshoeing one other time, back when I was an undergraduate student in Utah. Snowshoeing was a much cheaper option to skiing, though there was plenty of good skiing nearby. Since we've had more snow in the Michiana area since we moved back, we want to get in snowshoeing while we could.

We rented snowshoes through St. Joseph County Parks at Baugo Station of Ferrettie/Baugo Park. The cost is $3/pair. We could have used them until four or so in the afternoon, which is plenty of time. They are rented on a first come/first serve basis. The snowshoes really seemed like big tennis rackets with a flexible guard to squeeze feet with boots through. They were a little difficult to get over the boots, yet after getting them on all 6 of the kids with us, we were getting better at it! To put the snow shoes on, one should be on the snow, not the concrete. There is a convenient picnic table nearby.

Innertubing at Ferrettie/Baugo Creek County Park

On Saturday, we stopped by Ferrettie/Baugo Creek County Park to use a Wild Wednesday deal we had for innertubing and another for snowshoeing. I have only driven by the park, so it was neat to try out another local park. There is a gate fee for entrance and then a fee for using the hill. Be sure to get your tube hill passes at the front gate if you intend to go innertubing. We ended up going back twice to get what we needed, though the staff was friendly and said they'd go get them for us. We arrived before the rentals were open, so drove around to check things out a bit.

There are several large shelters for rent, which would be great for get togethers. 

My kids always like finding a playground. We can spend time outside on a hike or other activity and then have fun with recreational activities. The park also offers disc golf and public boat ramp access. 

The information booth had a QR code hiking map which could be helpful. I often take a picture of the map with my phone before we head out. Programs and other information are also included on the display. 

While waiting for the rest of our group, the kids started climbing the mountains of snow in the parking lot. A lady walking her dog remarked they would have just as much fun on the snow piles! It was fun and I've seen the children enjoying these as winter progressed at a few different areas.

We checked out the Tube Hill rules when we arrived and the kids grabbed innertubes to get going!

It's a fairly long walk up the hill. My husband kept wondering about the electronics near the lamps and finally decided he thought they were snow makers!

 

They had fun going down the hill, having races and trying different ways to go down the hill. There are several people in position to help with safety. 

I liked this shot of my husband's feet. He even took a fast video! 

This little bundled up toddler walked all the way to the top of the tube hill. He saw everyone going up and started that way. I thought I'd let him go to see how far he made it. He kept going and going. About half way up I caught up with him. He made it up to the top. He liked watching other young kids play at the top and all the tubes going down the hill. I didn't get a pass to use the hill, but I could have taken turns easily with my husband had I purchased a pass as well. Though the temps were low, it was sunny and not windy. With layers and sufficient gear, we were all doing okay, especially with a little physical activity. The temp predictions were about 20 degrees for the high, but we needed to use our special passes. This experience helps me not to be as afraid of the temperatures being low. I even sent the kids out again this morning (15 degrees) to go sledding and play in the snow. The toddler went, too, with an older brother for his special helper.

Some people like to make chains and all go together. 

I heard plenty of hypotheses about which track was faster, how the tracks would be different once exposed to warmer temperatures or sunlight. The hill is also available for night innertubing as a private rental. Contact St. Joseph County Parks for details and more information on rentals. 

Our tips:

1. Buy your innertubing passes at the gate.

2. My husband liked going down headfirst as the snow didn't blow up in his face as much.

3. My husband liked the valve pointing up so it didn't drag in the snow. 

4. Many people kicked their tubes up so they didn't have to carry them.

5. Try a chain of tubes--it can be another fun way to go down. 

6. Wear proper gear, like gloves. 

7. There were fewer people when we got there; however, there were 5 tracks so there weren't any lines to speak of. People moved through the hill quickly. 

8. Have fun! We enjoy sledding and this is a bigger hill than we usually use. It was fun to try another way of going downhill. My husband thought the tubes were more comfortable. They were light and easy to carry. 

9. If you go, combine it with a little nature study, looking at the snow, any ice accumulations, the plants in winter, any tracks you might see, etc. These are natural observations that can be made during the excursion. 

10. There is a nearby warming shelter that sells concessions and rents snowshoes. Many people also brought their own food to take a break. We took a break to go snowshoeing, warm up, and then hit the tubing hill again. Fun times! 

Sugar Camp Days

There are several maple syrup festivals within an hour of our house this weekend. We decided to go to Bendix Woods Park's Sugar Camp Days as we've never visited that park AND just found out it had another nature center. How did we miss that? My 8-year-old seems to have current plans to visit all the nature centers in the United States this summer . . . it might take us a few summers to reach that goal! He said we'd be really smart if we do! I saw the signs for Family Activities and knew this was the place we should be. My husband was there sick, I had the baby strapped to my back, and the boys were anxious to explore--this would be the right place! The event is sponsored by St. Joseph County Parks. They have several good activities and parks to visit.

I will say my only complaint (and it was really just an opportunity to educate on appropriate risk, right?) with the morning in general was walking up before these signs. My boys were walking in the grassy area instead of the parking lot and there were woods and a slight depression nearby. One of the parking attendants (most likely a volunteer) told them to get away from the edge. I looked and didn't see anything I was concerned with as far as risk. I asked him, "What edge? The edge of what?" I said that I didn't see anything dangerous for them to fall into in the area. He apologized. I'm okay with a little healthy RISK for my children, though I truly didn't see risk in the situation. In fact, when they moved back into the parking lot because they were told they were too close to the edge, my oldest fell down on the asphalt and scraped his knee. He wasn't in a good mood for at least a half hour--I think I'll keep with the risk of the edge of the woods, thanks! We are still very grateful for the many volunteers who made this possible.

I noticed these interesting little cones on the tree, much like my three-year-old. But then he found the nest sitting right there!

There were several people with a living history camp from Brothers of the Wind. One was showing his wares.

Another had candle dipping. We've done this several times and my kids still enjoy doing this . . . we really should start using the candles!

And someone who knits! We talked about where she sources her fibers and the group of living history people.

It was interesting to hear about all the different types of furs and cuts, which were preferred (winter coat), and how they were used.

He was very proud of his candle. Thanks for a little help and setting it up!

Inside the nearby shelter there were several activities/crafts for families, such as tin punching, tattoos, sugar camp days magnet coloring, and maple syrup taste tests. My 6-year-old guessed the one that is REAL maple syrup. Good job!

The pancake and sausage breakfast seemed successful with the line waiting to eat. It seemed to move at an okay pace. 

The ice sculptures were another visual treat. Loved this themed one!

Watching the carvers in action is so neat! I don't have that eye for transforming a block of ice (or other material) into a sculpture, but I'm glad others do.

Of course, my kids found sticks on the ground. They carried these for most of the maple syrup walking tour and they kept pretty entertained. At one point they used them for "camouflage" cover to hide in nearby pine trees. They were so proud of themselves.

There were even horse drawn wagon rides!

Along the tour of the sugar bush camp, we learned about maple tree identification and the scientific process that allows us to make maple syrup. Marge, our guide, was very knowledgeable.

More stick play . . .

You can rent a sap bucket to be a part of the process!

There were several demonstrations along the way. This stop looked at the Woodland Indian way of making maple sugar. Shallow wooden troughs held the sap and hot stones from the fire were put in to help evaporate the extra water content. Other methods might have been used, especially as they had more access to kettles in later years.

These were some of the materials that might have been used, such as spiles made of tree branches that have soft centers that were easy to dig out, birch bark buckets (as birch bark is waterproof), and other needed supplies. Maple sugar was often used to season savory dishes for added flavor.

Another modern day method--plastic bags to collect! Our neighbor uses milk jugs easily.

This shows the pioneer way of making the syrup, with a yoke to help carry the wooden buckets and a big kettle to suspend over the fire. The guide mentioned the pioneer women wanted the later syrup from the season, as it has more flavor for the baking. For pancakes, most of us prefer the earlier yields today, but there are different purposes and flavors depending on the trees and when it was collected.

We learned more about the modern day process here, such as using hydrometers to know when the syrup is ready.

We could taste the sap here . . . ours doesn't taste much different than water. It still has 98% water at this point, which is why so much boiling is needed.

A group of blacksmiths showed us their wares and how they made nails and other needed implements.

Modern day sugar bush camps include lots of plastic tubing, a hut to evaporate the sap, and a good source of heat.

Notice the vented window up top to let all the evaporation out.

Most maple syrup made today is done similar to this.

There were treats and wares throughout the area. We got different maple flavored cookies, maple hot dogs, and tried maple kettle corn. When I got a really good piece--it was heavenly, though it took a while to find those gems. There was even maple cotton candy by the nature center.

The boys wanted to check out the playground as soon as we got there. I waited . . . I use playgrounds to my advantage when out with the boys often. Going to the playground at the right time to avoid meltdowns, to encourage tired children, or as a reward has reaped great rewards in our outings. We took a break, ate our hot dogs, played, and then had a more willingness to enjoy the nature center later.

There were several people showing traditional skills in the nature center.

These hand hewn bowls were gorgeous!

Quilters with a fine eye for detail.

The man explaining the pewter making process was quite lively to listen to! He drew a crowd. My kids were drawn to the little pewter figurines for sale.

There was rug weaving and chair caning as well. I overheard one man ask if the chairs were being caned with plastic and she said, "Most certainly not." I believe (as there should be) there is a certain amount of pride in caning in a traditional method.

These are always tasty! We spent about $20 for the outing plus gas. It costs $7/car to enter/park, plus we purchased several treats along the way to taste the maple concoctions. The boys also each bought a small pewter figurine as part of our total. While we have made our own maple syrup at home for the last two years, it was fun to explore a new park, enjoy the festival atmosphere, and partake in the various offerings such as the historical methods of making maple syrup, the sugar house, blacksmiths, living history exhibits, arts and crafts, etc. We had a fun morning!