Birds are the word for families at Jennings wildlife class
BRADY TWP — Children with signs draped over their shoulders beamed as they strode toward their spots Sunday afternoon at Jennings Environmental Education Center, preparing to tag others in the game without lifting their feet from little bases on the gravel. Each of these children bore the name of a hazard migrating birds might face on their flights: “polluted water,” “power lines,” “high winds.”
Then a cascade of other children from the opposing team — “the birds” who were making this epic journey — rushed past the outstretched arms of these “hazards,” grinning and shouting.
Eventually, a couple of parents volunteered to take on the role of hazards, because they had longer arms and the vast gravel plot gave most of the birds plenty of space to keep away from them. The “bird” children raced past again, squealing and laughing, as most of them were tagged this time.
Environmental education specialist Brandi Miller-Parrish, who led the event, tried to herd everyone back inside, but the children persuaded her to declare one last round of the game.
The event, Nature’s Detectives: Case of the Vanishing Birds, gave about a dozen children ages 4 to 11 the chance to learn about birds that flourish around Jennings state park, as well as bird species conservationists won’t find in the area. In addition to the migration game, children tried their hand at gathering “bird food” indoors with beak-like tools such as tongs and droppers, leaving out actual food for birds outside in feeders and matching a sampler of different bird songs to their corresponding pictures.
The nature detective series has been running “a number of years,” says Miller-Parrish. “It’s aimed at families with young children, and we do a variety of topics.
“Because our audience is pretty similar, and we get a lot of repeat visitors, we try to make sure that our topics are changing frequently.”
Ryan Green, who volunteered to play one of the hazards during the migration game, said he and 7-year-old Ezekiel Bennett were returning visitors.
“We’ve been here before for National Public Lands Day, so we follow pretty closely what they do here,” Green said. “We’ve been looking for ways to get him exposed to outside stuff.”
“We actually do a lot of foraging for wild edibles, and he was really excited about it when we tried it, so we thought he would love it here,” Green said.
Nyomin Dimit, 6, fished for sliced rubber bands from a tub of soil with some pliers, recreating the challenge birds sometime face in finding foods that are easier to eat.
Diane Dimit, of Butler, who accompanied Nyomin, asked if she had a favorite bird.
“The cardinal,” Nyomin said.
Grove City residents Peter Verbois, 7, Elise Verbois, 8, and Katie Verbois, 11, each used tweezers to pick seeds that lay scattered throughout the fibers of a rug. Katie, who had just hit the jackpot, declared that she had found a bunch of seeds scattered in one spot.
"Everything is a competition," said Rachel Verbois, the children's mother. "'Oh! You got more than me!'" she said.
Families can find out about other events at Jennings by going to its website at Jennings Environmental Education Center — Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Calendar of Events (pa.gov). The Nature's Detectives and other events require pre-registration.
“I think being able to make connections with children, and see them coming back, seeing the positive impact that you’re making, and the knowledge that they’re gaining and building relationships with them ... that’s most rewarding,” Miller-Parrish said. “Doing a good job, so that they come back, and they want to continue learning.”
