Hemlock Bluffs Explorer Program

Abstract

Advances in technology in the past decade, particularly in entertainment technology, have resulted in children spending more time indoors. Many fear that children are beginning to grow up with not only “nature deficit disorder”, but “ecophobia” as well. For this reason it has become the goal of many park managers, nature programmers, and parents to get children out into the natural world. This project concentrated on revitalizing the “Junior Explorer” activity booklet at Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve (HBNR) in Cary, NC designed for children ages 5-12 years. By splitting it into two booklets for ages 5-8 years and 9-12 years the activities created were more age-appropriate for children at their developmental level. Some appropriate activities from the original booklet were reused, and to create the new activities many websites and activity booklets from other natural areas were examined. These activity booklets can help children to learn about the environment at their own pace while fostering an affinity for HBNR, which could lead to environmentally responsible behavior throughout their community. 4