Children give their 5 senses a workout during parks program

Outdoor Discovery Center leads trail exploration at Shore Acres, state park.

Children with the “Explore with Your Senses” Outdoor Discovery Center event on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, reach around a tree at Saugatuck Dunes State Park in Laketown Township.

How many kids does it take to circle arm-in-arm a centuries-old tree in the Lake Michigan dunes?

Nine — and a few adults, the participants in the “Explore with Your Senses” Outdoor Discovery Center event discovered on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, at Shore Acres Township Park in Laketown Township.

Children with the “Explore with Your Senses” Outdoor Discovery Center event on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, sample sassafras leaves at Saugatuck Dunes State Park in Laketown Township.

More than a dozen people followed Joy Funk, vice president of programming for the Outdoor Discovery Center, through the trails at Shore Acres, 6602 138th Ave., and the surrounding Saugatuck Dunes State Park. Participants used taste, touch, smell, sight and sound during the hour-long program for 3- to 9-year-olds

The event was sponsored by the Laketown Township Parks and Recreation Commission.

Funk stopped the hike to pluck some sassafras leaves for the children to sample.

“It smells like pumpkin bread,” one said. Others crinkled their noses and cautiously chewed the leaves.

They also tried white pine needles from the low-hanging branches along the trail.

For a few moments, the group was silent, eyes closed to listen to the forest. They heard the waves of the lake, wind in the trees, insects buzzing.

“We can hear lots of different things,” Funk said.

Check out the Instagram video here.

A participant reaches into a bag to touch objects during the “Explore with Your Senses” Outdoor Discovery Center event on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, at Saugatuck Dunes State Park in Laketown Township.

The Outdoor Discovery Center and township team up for programs throughout the year.

The final scheduled program for the year is Night Hike on Friday, Oct. 4, at Huyser Farm, 4188 64th St. from 7:30-8:30 p.m.

Past programs include Frog Catching at Farview Park, Wildflower Walk at Sanctuary Woods, Little Explorers at Wolters Woods, Kayaking at Gilligan Lake, blueberry picking at Huyser Farm Park and insect investigation at Shore Acres park.

Joy Funk, vice president of programming for the Outdoor Discovery Center, shows an insect to participants in the “Explore with Your Senses” Outdoor Discovery Center event on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, at Saugatuck Dunes State Park in Laketown Township.
Children with the “Explore with Your Senses” Outdoor Discovery Center event on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, study an acorn at Saugatuck Dunes State Park in Laketown Township.
Participants sample white pine needles during the “Explore with Your Senses” Outdoor Discovery Center event on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, at Saugatuck Dunes State Park in Laketown Township.
A parent photographs her child who is matching colors to natural objects during the “Explore with Your Senses” Outdoor Discovery Center event on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, at Saugatuck Dunes State Park in Laketown Township.
A participant holds binoculars at the start of the “Explore with Your Senses” Outdoor Discovery Center event on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, at Saugatuck Dunes State Park in Laketown Township.
Joy Funk, vice president of programming for the Outdoor Discovery Center, prepares binoculars for participants in the “Explore with Your Senses” Outdoor Discovery Center event on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, at Share Acres Park in Laketown Township.
Joy Funk, vice president of programming for the Outdoor Discovery Center, leads participants in the “Explore with Your Senses” Outdoor Discovery Center event on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, at Saugatuck Dunes State Park in Laketown Township.