This is Angela Wildermuth. She’s an amazing family nature guide.
Her last name means “wild spirit”.
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Angela is inspired to take families “into the wild” places at the edges of parks and playgrounds all over the Saint Louis area. Green Spiral has now hosted two series of playground adventures that we are calling “Urban Wild Adventures”.
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In the wilds of Maplewood…
This blog debriefs “Winter Wild Adventures” in hopes of getting kids outside in all kinds of weather. You definitely need proper clothing, and friends, to help keep you warm, and overcome that indoor inertia.
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If you can find REAL felt or alpaca foot inserts for kids (NOT polyester), and put them inside standard wellie-type rain boots, you’ve just created a pair of warm kid boots for a fraction of the cost of snow boots. Wear wool socks for extra measure. Buy rain boots a size too big in fall, and as kids grow, take out the wool inserts for spring and summer.
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Fit for a prince…
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The weather is not likely to settle down anytime in the near future, and families who follow Green Spiral know all about raising resilient kids. Green Spiral field trips are not for everybody; they’re kind of like “Outdoor Leadership School” for toddlers, kids and families. But for those who do follow the wild spirit into the woods, the magic and the misadventure makes every extra effort worthwhile.
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The colder the winter the sweeter the spring, and even rain feels nice compared to ice. Getting outside in cold weather is good for you — and here’s an introduction to the fairly new concept of “brown fat”. Brown fat is abundant in hibernating animals and newborns, it’s function is to keep the body warm. But “brown fat” has also recently been discovered in adults as a response to cold exposure. Brown fat keeps you warm, and it also burns “white fat”. In short, being outside in winter causes you to build brown fat, which eventually keeps you warmer, WHILE, it makes you thinner!
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Nature doesn’t hibernate in winter, and there is plenty to do. The first three “Urban Wild Adventures”, to the Webster Sculpture Garden, Memorial Park and Tower Grove Park were cold, cold, cold. Kids have less body mass than adults, and thus get dangerously cold faster, so bundle little ones up well, wrap babies close to the body, and bring warm drinks in a thermos for when you get back to the car. As the old saying goes, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.”
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Memorial Park in Brentwood (near the YMCA), is a fabulous destination for a short cold weather hike, as the secret paths are easier to find in winter, mulched with recycled Christmas trees. Be careful not to fall into the creek when crossing the stepping stones, and make your way to the bridge with the arch. Keep your eye on the creek — we had a magical moment when we spotted a great blue heron! It’s nice to have a tour guide who carries along bird books, and that nature guide could be you.
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Along with a moment of magic, every trip has a misadventure; the misadventure on this trip was the sad realization that trash along creeks is highly visible in winter. On a positive note, mothers can’t stop themselves from cleaning up this pretty planet: the moms found a lost garbage bag, spontaneously started cleaning up the place, and the kids jumped right in. The nice thing about winter hiking is that you don’t have to wash hands, just mittens! Panera would be your closest cozy stop, across the street in the same shopping center as Whole Foods.
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Here’s your map should you want to catch up with Green Spiral Tours, or simply organize your own playgroup adventure.
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The Tower Grove Park trip was even colder, with one or two misadventures. But know that Tower Grove has a secret natural playground, and Angela took us there. Our destination was these “gnarly knee trees” underneath a bald cypress tree. This type of natural wonder cannot be landscaped – they’re very old and only grow in the wettest ground.
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BUT! it snowed, covering up the gnarly knee destination! And, sadly, one of the cars got broken into — so always remember “Adventure School Rules #3” – remain aware, and always lock valuables away and out of sight.
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HOWEVER! Tower Grove has a pony! Who knew? AND, it was early February, so we saw the earliest sign of spring: witch hazel in bloom.
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Tower Grove is a known birding destination along the “Mississippi Flyway”, so you might want to return around Mother’s Day, with a picnic, when the songbirds pass through. We learned that a bird sanctuary is planned to be installed in Tower Grove Park soon. By the way, Hartford Coffee is a nice place to warm up, with quality coffee or hot chocolate.
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Blackburn Park in Webster Groves is an amazing park to explore, and Angela & the families ventured forth in the rain, which seemed like fun after the first three cold trips. Blackburn is famous for it’s sinkholes, and the kids had a blast jumping in and out of them; but be careful, what happens if the sinkhole doesn’t let you out? Remember, these are true off-the-beaten adventures and not sanitized, canned experiences, so you have to stop and assess the risks and hazards. Fortunately, most kids have highly developed survival skills, and in this world, they need to be encouraged to take more risks, not fewer. As always, use your own judgement.
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Sink into the goodness…
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By the way, ponchos are better for kids than umbrellas, because ponchos are cheaper and last longer than umbrellas, plus, nobody gets poked in the eye! Here’s a darling blog by a “Wild Mom” which tells you all about the adventure to Blackburn Park, and how to become a “Wild Family”. Imho, wild families have more fun, AND they are going to save this beautiful earth:
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Becoming a Wild Family
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The trip to Lindberg Park in Maplewood resulted in a great horned owl sighting as well as the welcome sight of wild purple crocus flowers — the first wink of spring! Also found: rabbit fur from owl hunting, as well as multiple groundhog burrows. Teach kids to look up, down, and all around.
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Kids don’t learn about nature by osmosis or by magic; they must be taught directly how to pick up trash and put on wool socks. Schools are not particularly set up to teach kids about nature, so the amazing nature teacher in your life is likely to be you. Hopefully this blog inspires you to get outside and shake off the winter doldrums. As a tip to future trip leaders, it works well to meet your playgroup at the playground, to get the ya-ya’s out, so when the nature hike begins, everyone is in a calm mood of ready awareness.
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Think on these things?
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In short, Winter Urban Wild Adventures, are good for you, good for kids, and good for Saint Louis. Be inspired to launch your own trips with the maps provided, or follow Angela Wildermuth on future “Urban Wild” adventures, by watching for future Green Spiral emails or following the Green Spiral Facebook Page.
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Now here’s your homework:
- Go to your favorite park and get off the beaten track. Look along the edges, where the wild things might be. Look up, look down. Collect nature items as you go, and arrange them in an interesting way at the end of your explorations. Take a picture of it, along with the kids, for your photo journal. Mark it with the date and location. This is a “Goldsworthy”; following in the footsteps of famous artist Andy Goldsworthy.
- Buy wool socks, rain boots & ponchos, and train your family to get outside in all kinds of weather. Get your friends to come with you. Tell yourselves how resilient and awesome you are becoming with each passing day.
- Create a winter terrarium by collecting a small sample of soil, plus a small patch of frozen moss. Put it inside a pretty jar with a lid, spritz it with water and set it on the kitchen table. Prepare to be amazed at the tiny creatures and ferns that unfurl as the terrarium warms. Toss the soil and moss into the compost pile when the tiny riot of life has played itself out.
Green Spiral Tours
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