Families net fun, education at Shore Acres event

Outdoor Discovery Center leads “Incredible Insect” hunt.

Miera Pfeiffer, 5, leads the way at Shore Acres Township Park, 6602 138th Ave., in Laketown Township on Friday, Aug. 23, 2024, as part of the “Incredible Insects” program with the Outdoor Discovery Center. Behind her is Mills, 3, their mother Jessica with Leela, 18 months old. To the left is Jennifer LaForest, naturalist at the Outdoor Discovery Center. The event was sponsored by the Laketown Township Parks and Recreation Commission.

The young entomologists shook out their nets to see what insects they snagged in the fields of Shore Acres Township Park in Laketown Township on Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. Grasshoppers. Crickets. Ladybugs. Even a bumble bee. But not the prize the children truly wanted:

“Butterfly! Butterfly!” shouted Hazel Lenhart, 5, as she sprinted down a hill, net waving like a flag unfurled at the 40-acre park, 6602 138th Ave.

The charge was unsuccessful, though, as the Monarch flitted just out of reach.

Undeterred, the children regrouped.

“Bug catchers, let’s go!” Lenhart said as they marched down the trail holding their nets high.

Participants in the “Incredible Insects” event at Shore Acres Township Park, 6602 138th Ave., in Laketown Township head out to find insects Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. The event was led by the Outdoor Discovery Center and sponsored by the Laketown Township Parks and Recreation Commission.

More than a dozen children and adults fanned out as part of the “Incredible Insects” program led by the Outdoor Discovery Center and sponsored by the Laketown Township Parks and Recreation Commission.

The free program for children ages 5 to 13 introduced participants to the insect world.

Participants in the “Incredible Insects” event at Shore Acres Township Park, 6602 138th Ave., in Laketown Township look at what’s in their net on Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. The event was led by the Outdoor Discovery Center and sponsored by the Laketown Township Parks and Recreation Commission.

“They’re wonderful creatures that share the earth with us,” Jennifer LaForest, naturalist with the Outdoor Discovery Center, told the children, explaining that all insects caught during the program are released at the end of the hunt.

“I want to let my kids know not to be afraid of them,” said Jessica Pfeiffer as her three children – Miera, 5, Mills, 3, and Leela, 18 months – swept the grasses for insects.

Raquel Smith used the event to help her son, Solomon, 5, prepare for school.

“What did we catch? A grasshopper!” she said as they pair emptied Solomon’s net into a container.

Raquel Smith, left, and her son Solomon look at what they swept up in their nets at the “Incredible Insects” event at Shore Acres Township Park, 6602 138th Ave., in Laketown Township on Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. The event was led by the Outdoor Discovery Center and sponsored by the Laketown Township Parks and Recreation Commission.

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

Upcoming programs include:

  • Explore with Your Senses, Sept. 10, Shore Acres, 6602 138th Ave. 4-5 p.m.
  • Night Hike, Oct. 4, Huyser Farm, 4188 64th St. 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 and blueberry picking at Huyser Farm Park.

Hazel Lenhart, 5, seeks out insects during the “Incredible Insects” event at Shore Acres Township Park, 6602 138th Ave., in Laketown Township on Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. The event was led by the Outdoor Discovery Center and sponsored by the Laketown Township Parks and Recreation Commission.
Jessica Pfeiffer shows her daughter Leela, 18 months old, some of the insects they caught during the “Incredible Insects” event at Shore Acres Township Park, 6602 138th Ave., in Laketown Township on Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. The event was led by the Outdoor Discovery Center and sponsored by the Laketown Township Parks and Recreation Commission.
Participants in the “Incredible Insects” event at Shore Acres Township Park, 6602 138th Ave., in Laketown Township look at what they’ve caught on Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. The event was led by the Outdoor Discovery Center and sponsored by the Laketown Township Parks and Recreation Commission.
Hazel Lenhart, 5, checks her net during the “Incredible Insects” event at Shore Acres Township Park, 6602 138th Ave., in Laketown Township on Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. The event was led by the Outdoor Discovery Center and sponsored by the Laketown Township Parks and Recreation Commission.
Ava Pasma, seasonal naturalist at the Outdoor Discovery Center, shows samples of insects to participants at the start of the “Incredible Insects” event at Shore Acres Township Park, 6602 138th Ave., in Laketown Township on Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. The event was led by the Outdoor Discovery Center and sponsored by the Laketown Township Parks and Recreation Commission.