Wandering

This week we honor the beloved Jeepers Creepers camp with a post and Q&A with Mary Szepi, KVR Instructor and wandering enthusiast. Read on for ideas for activities and exploring to take a different view of things. 

This week's guest post is by Mary Szepi, Jeepers Creepers Camp Instructor

" Not all those who wander are lost"   --J.R.R. Tolkien

I love to hike and go places I've never been before, and maybe no one else has either, exactly. 

What I mean is, "bushwhack hike," which I think means, "a challenging, non-trail hike through sometimes dense foliage." Using a trail map (KVR or Wildcat State Park) for topography and general direction, and a compass, my friend and I go from one point to another but not on the trail. It might be a short distance or a longer distance. However, in spite of the time spent or distance covered there are "treasures" to discover and adventures to be had. Secluded valleys, deep ravines, awesome rock outcroppings are waiting to be found. Hidden tiny creeks with pure sandy beds and clear water invite you to wade in them. There's nothing like flowing, burbling water in a green forest glen. There seems to be more variety in the trees and other forest inhabitants, both plant and animal and you feel more connected to them here in this enchanting place off the trail.

Of course, wandering can be done anywhere---in town, in a city, down a country road, in a park, across a field, around your yard. Just go a different way. See things from a different viewpoint. Even a well traveled and well known trail is different going the other way. And experiencing the same walk in every season brings new insight. Take your time, immerse yourself. Look up, down, and all around. And don't forget your walking stick!!

Get to know Mary!

Tell us about yourself. Is there anything special you want campers and families to know about you and your life?
I grew up in northern Wisconsin and spent many summers family camping and canoeing on lakes and streams and marshes. I also attended Girl Scout and church camps and always loved being in the woods. My favorite experiences were rustic and primitive. I became a camp counselor when I was old enough and that was my summer job through high school until college. I have lived in the Kickapoo Valley area since my first teaching job in LaFarge and then Ontario and have raised my family here.

What do you love about being a camp instructor?
I thoroughly enjoy being a KVR summer camp instructor because I love to play, explore, and learn in the outdoors and I get to share experiences with kids who, I believe, all have a natural curiosity and enthusiasm and desire to poke about and discover things, not to mention, use their imaginations.


What ideas or tips do you have for campers who may be missing camp this summer?
Get outside every day! Go to wild places without an agenda. Leave your phones behind.
Parents, bring something quiet to do, sit and practice being present to the beauty around you, or jump right into the play, but let your children poke around and even tell you they are bored, and then watch as they find something fantastic to do.

Even though we can't meet in person for Jeepers Creepers this summer, I hope you will be outside as much as possible in all types of weather, as long as it is safe. Take some day trips to a park, trail, stream, river, pond, even a puddle has opportunities. Get wet, dirty, muddy, or not, whatever makes it fun and enjoyable and maybe a new experience. If you attended camp last summer ask your family to take you to the KVR and show them places you remember or had the most fun.

Activities you can do anywhere:

• Scavenger Hunt--Make a list of objects for others to find.
• Treasure Hunt--Write or draw clues that tell where the next clue is, as many as you wish, with a special something at the end.
• Collect objects for a mystery bag. Offer others a chance to use their senses to guess what's in the bag without peeking. You might even share some clues with them!
• Collect rocks, sticks, pinecones, etc. and invent a game.
• Collect objects for nature art & make a collage on the ground.
• Take a hike with a small day pack which includes water, snack, magnifying glass, binoculars or T.P. rolls (good for focusing your vision).
• Don't forget a bug jar!! This is one of the most-enjoyed activities of past Jeepers Creepers Campers. Any small clear container with a lid can work well. Empty spice jars or Parmesan cheese containers work well because they have built in air holes in the lid. Catch, observe, release.

Do you have a favorite spot or activity on the KVR that you'd love to remind campers and their families to visit when they can?
Any or all of the trails, including the horse trails. Get a map and choose a location. And of course, the creek and ponds are always fun.

What are some of your favorite nature activity books and quotes?
Teaching Kids To Love the Earth by Herman, Passineau, Schimpf, Treuer
Play Lightly on the Earth by Jacqueline Horsfall
One Small Square series by Donald M. Silver, ill. by Patricia Wynne

"If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in." 

--Rachel Carson--

"In the end, we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught." 

--Baba Dioum--