Education wonders found in the outdoors

Rain couldn't stop 24 nature enthusiasts from enjoying the

numerous activities offered during the second session of

Forestry Adventure Days last week.

For the past six years, the Cloquet Forestry Center has used the Adventure Days to bridge the gap between modern kids and the natural world.

"We want to get more youth into nature," first-year helper Dylan Kelly said. He and the rest of the staff hope that the camp will help spark an interest in nature that the young boys and girls may not otherwise experience.

Between the two different sessions offered this month, 43 children ages 5-11 made their way to the Forestry Center outside Cloquet to play games, make art and learn about the natural world around them.

One of the activities, led by Jay Cooke State Park naturalist Carly Hawkinson, introduced kids to animal tracking. Hawkinson taught the participants how to tell if an animal has been around and, perhaps more importantly, how to tell what the animal is. Later on in the presentation, members of the group made their very own animal track molds. Each of the young adventurers used animal track imprints provided by Hawkinson and used plaster of Paris to create the molds.

When the students weren't making plaster tracks or playing games like "Park Ranger" or "Guess Your Critter," they would take the time to make a lasting impression on the area. Using clay, sticks, rocks, and other objects from the forest, participants made masks, mounted on the Forestry Center's many trees.

Even though the next Forestry Adventure Day camp is a year away, the center has many other upcoming events, including an open house 4:30-8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 21. The open house will include s'mores, a walking tour and crafts for children.

For more information on upcoming events at the Cloquet Forestry Center, check out the website at https://cfc.cfans.umn.edu.