The Macksville City Library hosted an Outdoor Kansas for Kids Day event at the Macksville High School track on Earth Day, April 22.
The program was sponsored by the library with help from a $150 grant from the Kansas Wildscape Foundation.
The goal of the program was to get kids outside and enjoy nature! It was also a perfect time to talk about ways to help take care of our earth.
Grade school students from Pre-K to 6th grade each took a lap around the track, stopping at four different stations.
At the first station, kids talked about how our local recycling program works. They sorted through items to determine whether the item could be recycled, reused, repurposed, or was headed to the trash pile. They were encouraged to look on packages to see if the recycling triangle was visible. And, they learned what “Store drop off” means when it comes to plastic shopping bags, ziploc bags, etc. (Please- no plastic bags in our recycling bins!)
At the second station, students were reminded what the Artemis II astronaut, Victor Glover, said about us traveling on a “spaceship called Earth.” In the spirit of our interconnectedness, each student decorated a puzzle piece showing something they loved or appreciated about our world. The puzzle pieces were then put together forming a giant collage at the library.
The third station began with a quick introduction to the OK Kids Wildlife program. If kids enjoy hiking, fishing, jumping in leaves, touching frogs, etc. they should sign up for this free program! (Visit Kansaswildlifer.com for more details.) The theme of the third station was to get kids brainstorming about outdoor activities they enjoyed from A to Z. As a class, they all participated, and their answers were recorded on a poster. Some fun responses were: archery, birdwatching, igloo building, lizard catching, mudpie making, reading, trampoline jumping, watching stars, yodeling, and ziplining. Two speedy classes completed the entire alphabet to earn an extra prize.
At the final station, students learned about plant care and got to choose a two pack of flowers to take home. Teachers were also able to take an “Earth Day” book back to the classroom to read.
We are thankful for Kansas Wildscape providing the funds to purchase the flowers and supplies. Thanks also to volunteers who made the program possible: Iris, Linda, Teresa, Sarah, and Jacob. We served over 100 kids and adults, with no mosquito bites and only a few skinned knees from little legs running on asphalt (next time we may stick to the grass!).
Visit macksvillelibrary.com to learn more about this and other library happenings.
