FAMILY LEARNING/FAMILY FUN DAYS

Family Learning/Family Fun (FLFF) days are outdoor events geared to involve the entire family. They emphasize SPARK’s environmental focus, as we visit many of the beautiful natural areas on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.  

In these outdoor settings parents realize how important it is to encourage children to satisfy their natural curiosity, meanwhile reawakening their own sense of wonder. They learn that marsh, woodland and other habitats, often unknown and considered foreign or even frightening, offer a variety of new and fascinating stimuli, fresh air and exercise.  Our aim is for families to learn to feel comfortable visiting these natural areas, and to visit them on their own.

Since SPARK is a family learning program, we require at least one adult family member to come with their child on FLFF days. We encourage participation by other family members as well, including siblings, grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles; we believe that the more a family enjoys being together outdoors, the more likely they are to repeat the experience, making for a stronger family. 

Examples of SPARK FLFF Days are:

• Walking in the Woods at Eastern Shore Community College. Families will learn about and encounter a variety of flora and fauna including daddy-long-legs, lizards, squirrels, woodpeckers, leaves, lichens, and more! After the walk families will make crafts and play games with some of the items they collect from the walk!
  
• Visit to the Salt Marsh. Here we find the fiddler crabs, periwinkles, marsh grass, mussels, and egrets shown in the SPARK Marsh book, and the children catch killifish in their own little nets.
  

• Afternoon on Sparky's Farm. A favorite destination each spring is Sparky’s farm.  Families have the opportunity to observe budding trees, geese setting on nests, and other spring events.  Kids get a chance to feed the chickens, hold a chick, pet a rabbit,  milk a goat or cow, ride a horse, and get to know many of the other farm animals.  The children also hunt for arthropods in the farm’s fields. 
  

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Family Learning/Family Fun Days

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