ZEVA LONGLEY FAMILY ADVENTURES pays tribute to the inspiring legacy of Zeva Longley, an enthusiastic and respected environmental educator who dedicated her life to protecting our planet.
Rainbow Sandals Foundation is thrilled to continue our partnership with WildCare, offering nature outings and activities that connect children and families with the beauty of the outdoors. Led in Spanish by WildCare’s Bilingual Nature Educator, these fun hikes invite families in the Canal District of San Rafael, CA to experience the awe-inspiring nature in Marin County’s parks and open spaces.
On Saturday, August 23, the third Family Adventure of the summer took place at Point Reyes National Seashore. Here are some highlights of the day from Cecelia, WildCare’s Bilingual Nature Educator:
We had a beautiful day visiting Point Reyes with 8 families (32 people!). Some families had visited Point Reyes before and for some it was their first time there. We also had an amazing collaboration with the Point Reyes National Seashore Association's (PRNSA) bilingual educators, who shared their knowledge about the park's ecosystems and the wildlife that lives there.
We started the day with a quick introduction circle where each family shared their name, how nature makes them feel, and what animal superpower they would like to have. The most common answer to the first prompt was relaxation and breathing fresh air, while for the second prompt was mostly flying like a bird, a hawk, a vulture or an eagle.
On our hike, we stopped to smell the Bay Laurel tree and learn about native Coast Miwok people and their relationship with nature. Along the trail we found the recently shed skin of a Gopher snake and also encountered a momma wild turkey with her chicks. We listened for Acorn Woodpeckers, Red-tailed Hawks, and found clues left by sapsuckers on the trees.
After the hike, we went inside the Visitor Center. Celeste and Cristobal prepared animal pins with each animal's common name in Spanish and gave one to each kid and adult, with the task of finding them in the museum exhibition. Everyone was able to find their animal and learn a cool fact about them.
We had lunch at the picnic tables shaded by big Bay Laurel trees. After lunch, all the kids ran to one of the trees and started playing around it. Then they found another tree, and then another tree, and lots of fun trees, always making sure to hide inside them and climb as many as they could.
Everyone was excited to have learned about this fun place. Families mentioned they will come back because of how safe they felt there, watching their kids play with the trees.
