- I'm in Wisconsin Dells,
checking out Upham Woods and the natural beauty
that's found here in every season.
[gentle music]
I dove right in
with On-Site and Accessibility Coordinator
Rachael Lewandowski-Sarette
to learn about their programming.
- Rachael Lewandowski-Sarette: We have lots of programs
that are very seasonally based
because we do place-based education.
And so, in the winter,
we're doing some of our cross-country skiing
and snowshoeing,
and we even play broom ball with all the kids,
which is kind of like floor hockey.
And in this transitional season,
we get to start introducing
some of our spring activities as well.
We also try to offer a few public programs
like our Early Childhood Nature Club.
And so, they really get to explore this place
over a course of a month and explore different things
from shapes and letters and sounds
to our forest ecosystem and our water ecosystem.
Summer months is chaotic. [Angela laughs]
We can have up to 200 kids here at once.
And so, this place gets really filled
with laughter and chaos.
And then, we get to head across the open water
to Blackhawk Island and take kids hiking
for three to five miles in that state natural area.
And just because it's summer and we're having fun
doesn't mean the science stops.
We still try to incorporate science,
and one of the fun summer activities
is called Wacky Water Critters.
And so, it's a great way to have fun in the water,
splash around, catch things, but also do some science.
- Angela: Absolutely.
Can you tell us
about the historical significance of the land
and what that means for the learning opportunities
that people can have here?
- Rachael: For a long time,
this land belonged to Indigenous people,
specifically the Ho-Chunk and the Menominee.
And so, we partner with the Ho-Chunk Nation
to lead different educational opportunities
and also try to infuse
different Ho-Chunk cultural teachings
into other programs.
We also have a class called Life of a Logger,
where we focus on 18th-century logging camps
and kids get to have the giant saws
and, like, saw really big things.
[instructor exclaims and applauds]
- And so, Rachael,
you use the term place-based learning.
Can you tell us why that's so important
and how that contributes
to the uniqueness of Upham Woods?
- Rachael: So, having kids come to a space
that they can feel grounded in ownership in
has so many mental health benefits.
Getting outside and moving
also has a lot of physical health benefits.
And also specifically,
thinking about accessibility.
A lot of kids with ADHD and autism,
there's studies out there that spending time in nature
actually reduces stress and reduces triggers
back in the classroom.
And so, combining place-based education
and environmental education with classroom learning
can have a whole host of benefits.
[playful music]
- Wow, so definitely, school groups
should be hitting you up to come out to Upham Woods.
- Yes. - Thank you, Rachael.
- Instructor: You ready? - Angela: Uh-huh.
I jumped into the activities.
Whoo!
This is an arm workout.
From trying to live like a lumberjack...
Whoo!
To wading in the river,
looking for wacky water critters.
- That looks good.
- So if you see these things,
it means the water's pretty clean.
- Rachael: Yeah.
- Angela: It's all about cultivating curiosity
and getting outdoors here at Upham Woods.