Joey Campbell, 6, of Slippery Rock, looks for insects and other creatures in and around the creek on Thursday afternoon, July 13, 2023, at the DiscoverE day camp at Jennings Environmental Education Center. Shane Potter/Butler Eagle

BRADY TWP — Youngsters got a hands-on education on the stream ecosystem — and got themselves pretty damp — during the DiscoverE day camp at the Jennings Environmental Education Center in Slippery Rock.

The DiscoverE program, which runs weekly throughout the summer at Jennings, offers adventures for three different age groups. For children ages 6 through 8, the theme is “Outdoor Explorers,” a program centered around building respect and curiosity for the natural world in children.

This Thursday’s sessions marked the third week out of four for the summer day camp. At this Thursday’s afternoon session, environmental interpretive technician Dillon Penrod began by leading the eager children onto the Old Mill Trail toward the stream to study the wildlife residing near the stream at the park.

“We're planning on looking under rocks and logs for some different bugs and macroinvertebrates that we can find,” Penrod said. “And we also want to give the kids a good opportunity to have a fun time while they're out here at the park.”

One youngster, Jameson Myers, said he was most looking forward to “getting wet” and “seeing a bunch of fish.”

Last week, the children were taken to the wetlands on the other side of the park to observe beaver activity. At the final sessions next week, they will explore Jennings’ 20-acre prairie ecosystem and the many types of wildlife blooming there.

According to Penrod, one of the overarching themes of the program involves encouraging children to keep nature journals.

“It’s about bringing some of those outdoor experiences home with us (so we have) something we can look back on, something we can learn from — and hopefully that we can (use to) ignite passion in the outdoors,” Penrod said.

Although repeat attendance at DiscoverE sessions is not mandatory, it is encouraged — Jennings awards a certificate to children who attend at least three. Sure enough, most of the children who attended on Thursday afternoon were repeat attendees.

Sarah Burick was eager to sign up her daughter, Maven, for the program.

“We’re a big fan of Jennings, a big fan of Moraine [State Park],” Burick said. “We love to see what Jennings has to offer and we always come out for their programs when we can.”

Jameson Myers, 8, of Butler, left, looks at the baby crayfish Oliver Semzock, 9, of Pittsburgh, is holding in a cup on Thursday afternoon, July 13, 2023, at a DiscoverE day camp at Jennings Environmental Education Center. Shane Potter/Butler Eagle

Dillon Penrod, a Department of Conservation and Natural Resources educator at Jennings Environmental Education Center, looks on as kids look for insects and other creatures in and around the creek during DiscoverE day camp on Thursday, July 7, 2023, at Jennings Environmental Education Center. Shane Potter/Butler Eagle

Maven Burick, 6, of New Castle, middle, looks at some fish during DiscoverE day camp on Thursday, July 13, 2023, at Jennings Environmental Education Center. Shane Potter/Butler Eagle

Jameson Myers, 8, of Butler, looks for insects and other creatures on a rock near the creek on Thursday afternoon, July 13, 2023, during DiscoverE day camp at Jennings Environmental Education Center. Shane Potter/Butler Eagle

Dillon Penrod, a Department of Conservation and Natural Resources educator at Jennings Environmental Education Center, along with Jack Boosel, 7, of Prospect, pull up a fish trap on Thursday afternoon, July 13, 2023, to see what fish they caught and identify them before releasing them back into the creek at DiscoverE day camp. Shane Potter/Butler Eagle