Water Resources Education Center effort engages kids, adults

As school is out for the summer in Vancouver, families often seek opportunities to continue educating their children while keeping them engaged with hands-on activities.

A weekly event in July called Reading in the Wild does just that.

This free outdoor reading series takes place at the city of Vancouver’s Water Resources Education Center for families with children, and educators say all ages are welcome. The program provides children a place to listen to stories and explore nature through self-paced activities.

“They read great books, it’s a beautiful setting and the staff is super engaged with the kids,” said Emily Bendt, a parent in attendance on July 1. “My kids always love it, and of course, the nature focus is a huge priority for us.”

This year marks the third year Bendt and her kids have attended the reading series. It is held each Wednesday at 10 a.m. in July this year and has been offered to the community for over a decade.

Suzanne Hebert, an educator at the center, said a key purpose of this program is to provide a safe place for families to learn, explore the garden, do hands-on activities together and foster kids’ curiosity about animals and nature.

“We are really excited to do a program like this, just to promote literacy and summer reading,” Hebert said. “All of our stories and themes are about nature too, so it’s a really good connection with reading and learning something about a nature topic.”

The theme July 1 was about birds, and Erin Bowen, an educator at the water center and the storytime reader, read three short books — “Fine Feathered Friend,” “The Best Nest” and “Bird Singing, Bird Winging” — as children and adults sat on picnic blankets and mats provided by the water center, spread out across the grass.

Bowen engaged with the kids while reading the story aloud, making comments and asking simple questions throughout the book.

When she asked, “Should we read a third book today?” the attendees loudly proclaimed “yes!”

“The knowledge that they get from reading, I personally love it, especially the type of stuff they read here — it really gives them that sense of place,” Bendt said. “I love raising them feeling connected to where we live and being part of this ecosystem, being comfortable in nature here; that’s such a huge gift.”

After the storytime, the educators let everyone roam free and check out different activities. Aligning with the bird theme, crafts included a colorful paper bird, paper airplanes shaped like birds and nest-making with a paper bag. A bird scavenger hunt encouraged attendees to look for birds, feathers and a nest in the garden area. A water-sensory bin also allowed children to identify different objects that sink or float.

Having this event outside in their garden, Hebert said, allows kids and accompanying adults to feel a connection to nature and shows people that connecting with it is fun and exciting.

“It’s a really nice opportunity for our son to be in a group of other kids of a similar age, just for his own social learning,” Dana Mangraviti, a parent at the July 1 event, said. “Academically, preparing for school, he’s getting real-life learning in the outdoors about the outdoors; I don’t think he can beat that.”

Parents and guardians went around with their children participating in different activities and learning more about birds, and educators walked around and guided them along.

Hebert said it’s fun to put this series together and watch kids and adults explore with each other. Bendt agreed and said her child, Hazel, enjoys having people talk to her about native species and things she’s enthusiastic about, in addition to meeting other kids who share their joy and enthusiasm over books, crafts and nature.

“I love birds, and it was about birds, and it’s nature, and I love nature,” Hazel said. “(This is) my favorite place in the world.”