[shimmery music] I'm at Pringle Nature Center in Bristol Woods County Park, immersing myself in the programs offered here while learning about the great outdoors.

With hands-on activities, nature-based events, and accessible wheelchair availability, this nature center has something for everyone.

- Elizabeth Alvey: We have year-round programming at the nature center.

We do a lot of different educational and recreational activities and events.

We have everything from field trips to homeschool programs, all different nature topics.

- So, I understand that here you have a combination of kind of more educational programming, but also fun things for families and youth to do.

So, on the educational side, what is one of your standout programs?

- I think one of our standout programs is our Homeschool Science program.

We do a different nature topic every meeting.

One of them that is, I guess, one of our favorites is the maple syrup hike.

We go out to Petrifying Springs Park, and we take the families up into the sugar bush in that park and look at the sugar maple trees.

And we talk about everything from how the trees make the sap, how we get the sap, and make the maple syrup.

And then, they can do taste tests for some of our maple syrup that we make on site.

- Angela: As a former homeschool kid, I appreciate that.

- Is it good?

- Child: Yeah.

- That sounds like a combination of both education and fun, honestly, to me.

- I think all of our programs are fun, but, yeah, it is very educational, too.

- I understand that we're going to be participating in Mud Day.

So, can you tell me about that?

- Sure, that is more on the fun side and less on the educational side.

Families bring their kids out, and we have some mud pits set up outside.

- Wow!

- And it is what it sounds like.

Kids jump in the mud.

[Angela laughs] Some of them get head-to-toe covered and become one with nature.

And other kids might like to play lawn games or blow bubbles instead.

But it's just a lot of fun seeing all the kids just doing what they're not supposed to do most of the year.

- So, literally, just a chance for kids to engage in nature, doing the messy things that they like doing anyway?

- Yes, exactly.

What are some of the feedback you're hearing from kids and families who are able to take part in your activities?

- We hear a lot of feedback that families just love being in the park, exploring the different habitats, visit the forest, the prairie, the pond.

We love getting to see them making new discoveries and meeting animals, seeing things they haven't seen before.

New discoveries to explore here at the Pringle Nature Center.

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