TULSA, Okla. — If you’re looking for a fun and educational activity for kids this summer, the Gathering Place just started a new Explorer Pack program.
The packs are designed to help you explore the gathering place in an interactive and educational way. The self-guided explorer packs come in three different types: the engineering pack, the geology pack and the naturalist pack.
“A big part of our educational philosophy here at Gathering Place is learn through play," said Bailey Adkison the education program manager for the Gathering Place. "So we really want to engage and excite kids here in the park. It's a great educational opportunity. If families are here they’ve played on the playground, what's next? They can use these activities to really have an awesome learning opportunity."
The packs include prompt cards to tell you what to do and there are tools to go along with the prompt.
“For example, one of the activities says 'use your nature journal to sketch interesting things you find in the park — maybe your favorite bird or insect. Try looking for beautiful things to sketch near mist mountain or willow beach.' So inside the pack there’s a sketchbook along with color pencils,” Adkison explained.
The Gathering Place is also excited to provide its first-ever bilingual program.
“We know there’s a large Spanish-speaking population in Tulsa and we really want to be able to provide a way for those families to also engage with the park, learn about the park and have educational opportunities at the park,” she said.
Adkison says it’s great for those learning a language. She says the families she’s seen use them have been excited to complete all the activities. Although she says you don’t have to finish all of them.
“It’s about the flexibility of the pack. They can be checked out whenever a visitor comes to the park and they can do whichever activities they feel like would be fun to do,” Adkison said.
Kids get a punch card to check off when they complete a pack. When they’ve completed all of them they will receive two gifts for being a Gathering Place Explorer.
While this program just launched during the summer, park officials say they plan to keep it going all year round. You can check out the Explorer Packs during park hours at the lodge.
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