Our summer program this year provided epic field trip experiences for hundreds of children in the Boston area. Many different partner organizations were able to bring a group of kids for a full, exciting day of meeting animals, exploring our garden, hiking, making nature art, and on some very hot days, playing water games! Our staff had a few highlights to share from this summer.

For Brandon, the FNL Program Coordinator and a seasoned summer staff, the art activity was a huge highlight. Each child got to create and take home a nature ornament: air dry clay shaped into their own design decorated with nature materials found onsite. Kids pressed clover leaves, tiny flowers, and acorn tops into the clay and finished them off with a layer of mod podge to seal everything in and make it last. Brandon reflects, "I appreciate that the students closely connect to their natural surroundings while also demonstrating their creativity and unique point of view. Our nature clay ornaments will hopefully be something that reminds students about the time they spent outdoors at Nature Linc!" 

Lily, an FNL Outdoor Educator who got to experience the summer program for the first time, said her favorite experience was seeing kids interact with the animals. Goats Angie, Iris, and Gwen absolutely loved all the attention and Bittersweet vine snacks the kids showered on them. Then there were the bunnies: curious, silky-soft Carrot and fluffy, cute-as-a-button Thor. No matter how loud and rambunctious the group, the energy would always calm down to a quiet reverence as they passed the little animals around the circle, a sense of peace settling on each kid’s face as they cradled a bunny. Lily also loved getting to connect more with the teens, who were a crucial part of our summer program. All of them have worked for FNL for multiple years, and to see the confidence and leadership they’ve built in that time was inspiring.

Our summer activities also included a hike, garden activities, and water games. Many of the kids who visited told us they’d never been on a hike before, and were excited to try a new experience, including wearing the bug nets we lent them to deter mosquitos. The beginner-friendly Playground Trail features a beautiful forest with both tiny and towering pine trees, interesting plants like the strange white Ghost Pipe, and many signs of animals. In the garden, kids learned about the Three Sisters planting method, an indigenous invention that shows the power of collaboration, each of the three plants (corn, beans, and squash) growing stronger together than separately. And what better way to end a hot day than by playing water dodgeball? We loved seeing the staff and teens join in our friendly, refreshing competition. 

At the end of each day, the kids were thoroughly exhausted, and had huge smiles on their faces.