Tyke Hike at Rancho Sonado

We are so fortunate to have found some resources for kid-themed nature activities in our new home. This weekend we participated in one sponsored by Inside the Outdoors.


walking up to the nature center to start the hike



Saturday morning we headed to Rancho Sonado (in Silverado) for our second Tyke Hike. This one was themed "Where the Wild Things Are". Conveniently, M requested a book about monsters at bedtime on Thursday this week (I am really not sure where this request came from...), so we started obliged with said book, hoping to prepare him with some key elements from the book. Our favorite element is when Max tells the monsters to "Stop!" We also practiced roaring our terrible roars, gnashing our terrible teeth, rolling our terrible eyes, and showing our terrible claws. The hike was cute all around. For one, my son's friend (and his mom) joined us, and the two were incredibly cute together. They held hands going up and down the hills, and copied each other when they fell or even coughed. 



enjoying the sand toys

One thing I particularly liked about the program itself was that as a mingling agenda item, they put out a bunch of sand toys for this kids to play with in the gravel drive. They all would have been happy if that were the only activity for the next hour and a half. 



making crowns (like Max's) from nature materials



However, our first task was to hunt around to find some nature objects to decorate a crown with (like the one Max wore when he was king of the Wild Things). I can't say that M really got this concept, but he obliged in walking around and playing with random leaves (and promptly dropping them when he moved on to the next thing) and stopping to look at lizards. Luckily the staff had pre-gathered some materials, and M colored on his strip of paper while I helped taped some of our objects to it. He wore the crown some.

The next 'leg' was walking around the lake (where we saw fish and stink bugs and M and his buddy happily dawdled) to a circle of tree stumps where the kids sat and listened to one of the guides read the title book. M was very still and enthralled for the whole thing. He only got up once to chime in excitedly.



reading Where the Wild Things Are



Then we had a "wild rumpus" back to the classroom area where we went on a make-believe hike and got to pet (real) animals we encountered along the way. These included a snake, a salamander, a tortoise, a bunny rabbit, a tarantula, and a chinchilla. M was only up for petting a few of these, but I was very surprised at how many he remembered on all his own when he recounted the animals for his grandparents later. Especially the "itsy itsy spider". Oh, we also learned that supposedly Hollywood got its name from the Toyon plant (that looks like holly but isn't) that was abundant there when people settled it. What do you think about this theory?

petting a salamander



Needless to say M was sufficiently worn out and took a 3-hour nap after a little lunch when we got home.

I enjoy these opportunities to get outside, and can only imagine how much more fun it is for the kids (especially the ones just a bit older).









Tyke Hike: Shipley Nature Center

Saturday we went on a 'Tyke Hike' at the Shipley Nature Center in Huntington Beach.

I learned about this hike though this FunOrangeCountyParks blog.

We decided to go to breakfast at Crystal Cove beach beforehand, and even though we got there early, we had so much beach fun we were running a couple minutes late getting to Shipley. Luckily we were still among the first to arrive and didn't miss any part of the program.

starting our hike!

We signed in, and got name tags and explored the space in front of the center (mostly just the magnets on the sign board) until everyone arrived. Then we sat down in the mini amphitheater for just a minute while the guides explained the game plan.

We would (loosely) follow some 'clues' to 3 different spots where activities had been planned. Along the way, we learned lots of fun facts about California flora and fauna. For instance, I didn't know California has two State Trees (the Redwood and the Sequoia).

learning about the different varieties of sage in the park - some are good for rubbing on you to keep bugs away, while others you can rub on you to mask your scent from deer you may want to hunt

All walking involved was probably under half a mile and we spent 1.5 to 2 hours on our 'hike'. Also, there was a cost of $5 per person for the hike, but the guides were having so much fun, they nearly forgot to collect it. Overall, I was very pleasantly surprised at this trip. I was most happy with the fact that even though I think kids a little older than M (19 months) would get more out of this hike, we were never made to feel like he was disrupting the group (even when he was totally ignoring the meditation exercises below and throwing the props and running screaming into the open field), and the guide often used his name to engage him in activities. I am definitely planning on attending the next one in May!

If you visit Shipley on your own, check out the main center. Since we arrived late, we only caught a glimpse when we ducked in for a diaper change, but I instantly wish we had more time to play in it. It is relatively small, but appeared to have lots of activities, and props for kids to learn. Bathrooms are located there as well!

Don't forget water, snacks, a hat and sunscreen... and your camera!

our first stop was to check out the inside of a Native American hut (an Eagle scout project donated to the park)

we heard about the Native American legend about how California was built on the backs of turtles, and when the turtle siblings push each other, we feel earthquakes.

then we got to make turtles out of egg crate sections, pipe cleaners and paint.

our next stop was to learn some animal-themed Chi Gong exercises. M was less interested in this activity, but was happy to throw the balls they had as extra props

family exercisers

walking to our last station

the guide showed some native animals, that we were allowed to touch: a tortoise, a tarantula, and a gopher snake!

then we got magnifying glasses to look for bugs

using mirrors to look for bugs on the undersides of leaves

we were even given a kids' guide to state parks (written by kids) and a history of Orange County coloring book