Seasons of science and outdoor fun

Angela:I’m in Wisconsin Dells, checking out Upham Woods and the natural beauty that’s found here in every season.

[gentle music]

I dove right in with On-Site and Accessibility Coordinator Rachael Lewandowski-Sarette to learn about their programming.

Rachael Lewandowski-Sarette:We have lots of programs that are very seasonally based because we do place-based education. And so, in the winter, we’re doing some of our cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, and we even play broom ball with all the kids, which is kind of like floor hockey. And in this transitional season, we get to start introducing some of our spring activities as well. We also try to offer a few public programs like our Early Childhood Nature Club. And so, they really get to explore this place over a course of a month and explore different things from shapes and letters and sounds to our forest ecosystem and our water ecosystem. Summer months is chaotic. We can have up to 200 kids here at once. And so, this place gets really filled with laughter and chaos. And then, we get to head across the open water to Blackhawk Island and take kids hiking for three to five miles in that state natural area. And just because it’s summer and we’re having fun doesn’t mean the science stops. We still try to incorporate science, and one of the fun summer activities is called Wacky Water Critters. And so, it’s a great way to have fun in the water, splash around, catch things, but also do some science.

Angela:Absolutely. Can you tell us about the historical significance of the land and what that means for the learning opportunities that people can have here?

Rachael Lewandowski-Sarette:For a long time, this land belonged to Indigenous people, specifically the Ho-Chunk and the Menominee. And so, we partner with the Ho-Chunk Nation to lead different educational opportunities and also try to infuse different Ho-Chunk cultural teachings into other programs. We also have a class called Life of a Logger, where we focus on 18th-century logging camps and kids get to have the giant saws and, like, saw really big things.

[instructor exclaims and applauds]

Angela:And so, Rachael, you use the term place-based learning. Can you tell us why that’s so important and how that contributes to the uniqueness of Upham Woods?

Rachael Lewandowski-Sarette:So, having kids come to a space that they can feel grounded in ownership in has so many mental health benefits. Getting outside and moving also has a lot of physical health benefits. And also specifically, thinking about accessibility. A lot of kids with ADHD and autism, there’s studies out there that spending time in nature actually reduces stress and reduces triggers back in the classroom. And so, combining place-based education and environmental education with classroom learning can have a whole host of benefits.

[playful music]

Angela:Wow, so definitely, school groups should be hitting you up to come out to Upham Woods.

Rachael Lewandowski-Sarette:Yes.

Angela:Thank you, Rachael.

Instructor:You ready?

Angela:Uh-huh. I jumped into the activities. Whoo! This is an arm workout. From trying to live like a lumberjack… Whoo! To wading in the river, looking for wacky water critters.

Angela:That looks good. So if you see these things, it means the water’s pretty clean.

Rachael Lewandowski-Sarette:Yeah.

Angela:It’s all about cultivating curiosity and getting outdoors here at Upham Woods.