Adventure Kids Club at the Metroparks

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - It might be tough to get your kids outside in the wintertime when it’s cold and there’s no snow on the ground, but Metroparks Toledo has a program that makes it fun for them to be outside.

Morgan Sopko is the Outdoor Skills Interpreter for Metroparks Toledo. She coordinates educational experiences at the parks, including the brand-new Adventure Kids Club. She tells 13abc, “It’s so important for kids to be able to spend time outdoors.”

The club will aim to build kids’ love for nature and help them hone critical thinking skills. And it starts later this month.

Sopko explains, “On the 29th, We will be learning all about winter animals and how they survive and thrive in the wintertime.”

The lesson will put kids on the trails, hunting for clues.

“We’re going to be looking for animal evidence on the trail, whether that’s tracks or scat and just other evidence that animals are out there and looking for and tracking animals,” she says.

Kids will learn and practice using radio telemetry equipment. Employees with the parks use this every day to track and research a rare kind of turtle. A device is placed on the animal and can be detected from miles away. Sopko tells 13abc that hands-on learning like this can shape a child for years to come.

Sopko explains, “Having that early experience really fosters a life-long desire to care for animals and conserve the natural world.”

Sessions run for three hours and cost $15 and are designed for kids 8-12 years old. and each session is at a different park and features different activities.

Sopko says there are still spaces available. You can find more information and sign up at the Metroparks website.

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