For young children, any journey through Carkeek Park is a treasure hunt: They might unearth starfish and geoducks while walking on the beach at low tide; or find salmon fry in the river as they hike on a forested trail; or shriek with excitement as trains roar under the overpass where they cross from beach to playground.
Imagine, though, how much more they could discover with a guide.
That's the role naturalist Brian Gay is taking on for his "tyke hikes" at 1:30 p.m. Tuesdays, when he leads young children through outdoor activities at the North Seattle park.
"Everyone want to feel this?" he asked as he pointed out the bright, soft fuzz of moss on a log.
"It tickled me!" squealed junior naturalist Eileen Beres, age "three and three-quarters."
The group donned imaginary "deer ears," obeyed a 10-second moratorium on conversation, and listened assiduously to see what noises might emerge from the 216-acre preserve. An airplane buzzed. A horn honked from the road.
Then "I heard a bird," volunteered Grace Whelan, 4.
Some of Gay's weekly hikes are Carkeek-specific, such as the springtime plans to see the park's visiting hawks. But many are a close-up introduction to nature in all its everyday forms: creatures, objects, textures, colors, shapes and smells.
Gay wants the 75-minute walks -- covering a small geographic area and meant for children ages 3 to 6 -- to provide "a sense of awareness of their connection to nature ... making it less of a forest of green, and pulling apart pieces of it."
It's a rare opportunity to get outdoors with kids in the winter cold, said Rae Ann Benham, a nanny accompanying Grace. It's also nice to have an activity at a difficult time during the day for parents whose children have outgrown their afternoon nap, or as an educational opportunity for home-schooling parents or just general nature lovers.
"It's family time," said parent Glen McCann, whose 4-year-old daughter Samantha explored with the group while son Bryce, 2, observed from his dad's backpack.
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DAN DELONG / P-I |
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What kid can resist bugs? Naturalist Gay gives tyke hikers, from left, Grace, Sarah and Samantha, a close encounter with a beetle larva.
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When we joined the group last week with a test tot, we found the most striking benefit to the walk may be Gay's own approach.
Parents who know the guilt of hurrying their child past fascinating sidewalk cracks on a time-pressed errand, or neglecting to give the fifth stray ant the same riveted attention as the third or fourth, will appreciate Gay's way of honoring each bit of trivia that catches the children's attention, and his willingness to adjust the day's program to follow their lead.
While tramping across a meadow last week, a child alerted him to a treasure, and everyone gathered round as he called, "Take a look at what Grace found!" It was the tiniest of spider webs, caught between a few strands of wet grass, barely visible even from their pint-size vantage point. A moment or two was spent on discussion, then the group moved on.
"I will stop for anything they're interested in," Gay said. And with the weekly programs, he has enough continuity with the children to divine individual learning styles, likes and dislikes.
Last week's hike was clear-skied and warm enough for sweaters, with the children's shoes squishing slightly in the mud.
Gay started out burning some energy with a running game with an animal theme, then stopped by a picnic table for some animal identifications using a series of color photos. Gay dropped to his knees so that his animated face was at the same level as the children; the children sat or stood on the benches or the tabletop -- however they were inclined -- with adults making no demands for more sedate positions. "Coyote!" Samantha called out at one of Gay's photos. "Beaver!" was another.
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DAN DELONG / P-I |
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Naturalist Brian Gay heads for the woods with his troop, which includes, from left, Eileen Beres, Samantha McCann and Grace Whelan.
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"She knows all her animals. We're working on numbers, now," quipped her father.
Then there was a trip through the meadow to search for subtle signs of animal life, with the youngsters straining for any of the hints Gay had listed; like the mangled leaf that 5-year-old Sarah Reed proudly presented.
"That's definitely a chewed-on leaf," he told her. "It's probably (from) one of the moths."
That sharpened view of nature is a help for the adults as well as the children, said Benham.
"You just take nature for granted," she said. Now they can appreciate the details together.
The group hike continues onto a path above a canyon. The rules: You can hold Gay's hand at the head of the line, but no one can roam farther ahead. For the most part, parents trail behind, some corralling the slightly younger set if they stray. (Three-year-olds are "about the youngest I can actually manage and maintain a connection with them," Gay said, but he allows younger siblings and the like as long as parents can manage them and still keep track of the older child.)
Our test tot, slightly below the recommended age, demands to be carried midway through the hike, citing "squishy shoes," but perks up anew as Gay distributes mini magnifying glasses all around. There's a promising-looking wet log by the side of the trail, and Gay asks the group if anyone wants to search for bugs underneath. Was there ever a moment's doubt?
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DAN DELONG / P-I |
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Mom Anne Beres helps her 2 1/2-year-old son John focus on various sounds during a listening period.
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As he prepares to roll the log, he previews for them how the creatures will scurry away in haste: "You have to look close, and you have to look quick."
The quickest eyes alert Gay to a worm.
"He's squirmy!" announces Eileen as Gay plucks it from the mud with his bare hands and deposits it in an observation box.
Then he retrieves a fat sow bug. Then a snail shell. "Ewwww!" comes the occasional chorus from the watching crowd. But Gay tells the children he can always wash his hands later.
At 2:30 p.m., it's time to restore the log to its resting place, and head back up the trail. "But we didn't find any treasures!" one boy protests.
Gay's mock amazement has some real feeling beneath. "What do you think that was?" he said. "That was a treasure and a half."
Back indoors, the day winds down with hot cocoa and a story. Then Gay passes out paper and stamps of animals they had seen, or that they wished they had seen.
The crafts are "another way of having a memory of your trip," he said, without disturbing the creatures and taking them home.
It's one of the trip's only occasional nods toward parents, whom Gay describes as "sort of my secret audience," in that whatever they pick up from him can be internalized and passed on.
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DAN DELONG / P-I |
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Eileen Beres, almost 4, of Shoreline checks out a wiggly earthworm with fellow tyke hikers, including 5-year-old Sarah Reed, left rear, and Grace Whelan, 4.
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"Children have a natural connection with nature," he said. "And if you touch that early enough, you have a wellspring from which they'll continue to maintain that connection the rest of their lives."
If you go
- Carkeek Park's "tyke hikes" are held 1:30-2:45 p.m. on Tuesdays through March 29. Meet at the Environmental Learning Center, 950 N.W. Carkeek Park Road. (Hikes may continue into spring and summer, depending on enrollment). Cost: $20 for the quarter covers one adult and child. Up to two additional children can attend for $10 each. Enrollment limited; register at 206-684-0877.
The center also loans out free "Eco-packs" designed for children from kindergarten through fifth grade, filled with field guides, tools and more. They can be checked out with a valid state driver's license or credit card, starting at 10 a.m. Monday-Friday, and must be returned by 3 p.m. the same day
Other walks for young children in Seattle parks:
- Camp Long -- 5200 35th Ave. S.W. A "tot walk" will be held 10:30-11:30 a.m. Feb. 10. Cost: $5 adult; $3 tot.
- Discovery Park -- 3801 W. Government Way; 206-386-4236. Upcoming "tot walks" for children ages 2-4 include "Shapes in Nature" 10 a.m. Feb. 12, and "Blustery Beach" 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Feb. 16. Cost: $3 per person. Up to two children can be registered with each adult. Please preregister.
- Seward Park -- 5902 Lake Washington Blvd. S.; 206-684-4396. A park naturalist will lead a bird walk at noon on March 5, and the all-ages group will then return to the park's pottery studio to draw what they have seen and make wind chimes out of clay. Cost: $25. Registration required by March 3.
P-I reporter Rebekah Denn can be reached at 206-448-8190 or rebekahdenn@seattlepi.com.
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
