Heavner Canoe to Offer New Nature Program

Heavner Canoe is working hard to get kids out of the house and into nature this year with a new program, Huron Valley Unplugged.

"The goal is to have families from White Lake, Highland, Milford and Commerce join the club and enjoy fun activities one Saturday morning a month," Chris Wall, outdoor education teacher with Heavner, said.

The club will meet at local parks the second Saturday of the month starting March 12 from 9:30-11 a.m.

Heavner Nature Connections, part of Heavner Canoe, is a local No Child Left Inside group. No Child Left Inside is a national movement aimed at reconnecting kids with nature.

According to Huron Valley Unplugged officials, today's children face the largest disconnect with nature. They site a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation that states, "Children spend, on average, a startling seven-and-a-half hours a day engaging with media through television, computers, video games and cell phones."

The spring schedule for the program is as follows:

• March 12, nature alphabet hike at Proud Lake Recreation Area in Commerce
• April 9, outdoor skills at in White Lake
• May 14, bird observation at Kensington Metropark in Milford
• June 11, canoeing at Heavner Canoe Rental in Milford

The programs are open to families with children 3-years-old and up. All kids attending must be accompanied by an adult. All programs are free. Participants are asked to dress for the weather and wear shoes suitable for weather conditions and temperatures.