Children Connect to Nature at Wolf Trap Event
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Children Connect to Nature at Wolf Trap Event

Friends of Wolf Trap event stays alive during national park closure

Author and entertainer Mary Ann Redmond of Great Falls with her recently published children’s book during the Global Passport Adventure at Wolf Trap on Oct. 5.

Author and entertainer Mary Ann Redmond of Great Falls with her recently published children’s book during the Global Passport Adventure at Wolf Trap on Oct. 5.

In an event that nearly didn’t happen, the Friends of Wolf Trap, a volunteer organization, recently invited area children on a two-hour trip around the world for a “Global Passport Adventure.” The hands-on exploration at Wolf Trap included world crafts, cultural activities, nature walks, music, stories, art and a chance to explore, create and celebrate world cultures and nature.

The only national park for the performing arts, Wolf Trap, faces the same government closure limitations on staffing and services as national parks nationwide. After the shutdown, organizers scrambled to cover assistance that would have fallen to park rangers. Says event organizer Sara Holtz, “Many coming here are themselves likely federal employees now experiencing the stresses of government closure. So it’s more important than ever to enjoy their parks and natural resources, being outside with friends, family and loved ones.”

Award winning children’s author Mary Ann Redmond, also a singer-songwriter, performer and photographer, read her book “Boopable.” The story asks readers how they would feel if they “booped” different animals on the nose. Redmond signed the book at the event, also available at book outlets.

Joseph Sage Raindancer, a certified guide, introduced attendees to the self-help practice, Forest Bathing, also known as Shinrin-yoku. The practice promotes slow-paced and gentle walking in the forest to prime one’s senses to observe, absorb, and reconnect with nature. Young enthusiasts were encouraged to find and decorate sticks as a means of connection to the woods.

Also on-hand with interesting tables of nature-related things to do and see were Plant NOVA Natives, the Virginia Bluebird Society and the Vienna Arts Society, among others. Craft activities at tables included making Japanese fish prints and Native American totem pole creations, and learning about seeds, butterfly migration, Bluebird nesting and other nature phenomena. The Fairfax Drum Circle’s display and opportunity to use drums was another popular stop. The passport allowed children to collect country flag stamps tracing their world culture exploration.

The Wolf Trap event celebrates International Children’s Day, celebrated annually around the world on different dates. Wolf Trap’s donor, Catherine Filene Shouse, hoped that children would come to parks for nature and all forms of art. Event organizers Sara Holtz, Ronalda Mason and Kathy Stewart said the event offered natural arts, in what the Friends hope will become an annual event. 


Glenys Mulholland (left) of the Virginia Bluebird Society discusses snake forages into nests; Cora Address, 8 yrs old of Vienna, with her Passport in hand, learns more about Bluebirds