When kids take a walk in Clarence Schock Memorial Park at Governor Dick, they can now become even more connected with nature. The park has launched a Junior Naturalist program, inviting participants of all ages to check out an activity backpack and spend time in the park completing activities to fill a Junior Naturalist passport and receive a badge.

"We started a Backpacks and Binoculars program, where people could check out either, but then we thought, 'What if we incentivize people to check this out and make it kind of like a challenge?'" said park naturalist Taylor Casey. "We wanted something to encourage people to participate."

The program is offered free of charge. Participants just need to come to the environmental center at the park, 3283 Pinch Road, Mount Gretna. They can either check out a backpack and just enjoy exploring the park or they can go for their Junior Naturalist badge, Casey said.

"We have created a passport card, and there are areas for five stamps on it - one stamp for each of the backpacks," she explained. "Each backpack is full of goodies."

The program is geared toward the youngest children who can read and write up to tweens, Casey stated.

Backpacks cover the topics of birds (separated by backpacks for big kids and ones for little kids), insects, trees, navigation and mammals. When a child completes the activities in all five backpacks, he or she will receive a patch and become a Junior Naturalist.

"Each backpack has a Junior Naturalist booklet and a packet of activities to complete," Casey said. "There are usually three activities. For the birds backpack, for example, the first activity is to look for birds and see if you can identify them. The second activity is bird anatomy, where kids are challenged to consider, 'If you were a bird, what would you be called? What would you look like?' and a third activity, bird bingo, where you might have to find a red bird, for instance."

Each backpack contains child-size binoculars, pencils and crayons, ID guides, pamphlets and children's books on the backpack's subject that parents can enjoy with their child.

Along with the Junior Naturalist program, parents can check out their own binoculars to use alongside the backpack activities or individually.

Casey explained that the idea for the Junior Naturalist program came from some of the volunteers who help with park programming.

"Someone had mentioned that Middle Creek does something similar, and I thought it was a great idea," she recalled. "It's just a fun way to explore the park."

Governor Dick Park features more than 1,100 acres of forested park. "We have over 15 miles of trails," Casey said. "We have an observation tower, an environmental education center and a mud kitchen area."

As she explained, the mud kitchen provides opportunities for kids to play in the dirt and make mud pies or other "treats" using the wooden sink, pots, pans and utensils on-site.

"Kids have a really fun time playing in the kitchen," Casey said. "They get really creative with the things they make."

She hopes people will take advantage of the Junior Naturalist program, which has already proven to be popular in the few weeks since its release.

"This is a good bonding time for families," she said. "People can help their kids do the activities, read the books with them and watch their children learn about nature."

To learn more about the program and the park, visit http://www.parkatgovernordick.org/visit.html.