Join us on Saturday, June 16 for a themed hike in the nature preserves of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. We are partnering with the United Urban Network, The Field Museum, Chicago Wilderness, and Calumet Stewardship Initiative to lead a family-oriented “soundwalk” in Miller Woods for “Leave No Child Inside” month. Our event helps children of all ages to experience the audible side of nature, the vital and all-encompassing natural soundscape.
![Monica Ryan leads childern]( "IMG_4722")
Other groups will lead themed hikes starting at 9 AM. These lead up our soundwalk at 2 to 3 PM, the final event of the day. Our soundwalk begins at the Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education, 100 N Lake Street Gary, IN 46403 (map).
Miller Woods is located in the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.
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Commuter train transportation from Chicago and Northern Indiana to Miller Station: www.nictd.com/
Chicago Wilderness: http://www.chicagowilderness.org/News/2012/03/29/lncidouglascenter/
Leave No Child Inside: kidsoutside.info/
MSAE Facebook Event: www.facebook.com/events/345137865558901/
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore: www.nps.gov/indu/planyourvisit
Download the NPS program flyer: media/LNCI%206-16-12%20sm%20vers.pdf
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Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Program Announcement
Release Date: May 24, 2012
Contact: Julie Larsen, Julianne_Larsen@nps.gov, 219-395-1821
Connecting Families and Nature at the National Lakeshore
Bring the family to an outdoor extravaganza at Indiana Dunes National
Lakeshore’s Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education on June 16
from 9 am – 3 pm. In partnership with the United Urban Network, The Field
Museum, and the Calumet Stewardship Initiative, park staff and partners
have a variety of themed hikes, activity stations, and outdoor games
planned for the whole family to enjoy.
As children spend more time plugged in at home, researchers know that our
attachment to nature suffers and leads to other health problems such as
obesity. This Leave No Child Inside event is designed to remedy some of
those ailments and share ideas with parents on how they can interact with
their children in the outdoors.
The day’s schedule will feature different outdoor adventures along the
Miller Woods hiking trail.
The fun starts with “Birding for Beginners” (binoculars and guide books
furnished) at 9 am followed by “Step into Nature” featuring yoga and health
tips with Alison Paul of The Field Museum at 10 am. At11 am take part in
“Finding Serenity in Nature” with Pastor Curry of Full Life Ministries,
then “View Nature from the Freedom Trail” with Brownsville Historical
Society at 1 pm. The day’s activities wrap up with a “Soundwalk” at 2 pm
presented by the Midwest Society for Acoustical Ecology.
Activity stations will be set up throughout the site, including the new
nature play area where children can safely play in the outdoors with
natural objects. Stagecoach Productions will be sharing stories at the
small parking lot where visitors can enjoy free lemonade. Families can
create their own artwork and take it home or script a puppet show using the
park’s animal puppets on stage. Take a stab at some old fashioned games in
the picnic area.
This program is part of the free Saturday open house programs at the
Douglas Center. The Douglas Center is located at 100 N. Lake Street in
Gary, Indiana. For more information on this or other programs at Indiana
Dunes National Lakeshore, visit the park website at
www.nps.gov/indu/planyourvisit or contact our information desk at 219-395-1882.
www.nps.gov/indu
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is part of the National Park Service. More
than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 397 national
parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local
history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at
www.nps.gov.
