Take some time to go wading in a creek this summer. Last Friday was perfect for it. (The whole weekend was actually sublime.) Water glinting in the sun, minnows darting between rocks, crayfish crawling along the bottom of the creek bed, and sneaker clad feet splashing amongst them made for a wonderful hour and a half of being outdoors.
I took my son and a friend of his to Battelle Darby Creek MetroPark for an organized activity for kids, ages 3 to 5. This park is the largest in the Columbus MetroParks system and well out of the city where farmland starts to take over the vistas. This creek wading activity caught my attention when I was browsing MetroPark programs for something to do. Creek wading brought back memories of when I was a kid visiting my grandparents in southeastern Kentucky. Once when I was nine, my parents, my brother, my mom’s brother and his family took a picnic lunch and headed off into Troublesome Creek that wound back in the hollars in the Appalachians. (Hollars are the narrow valleys between the mountains.) We still recount that day since it was the rare occassion that the adults all had time for such a leisurely pace.
So when I saw the Darby Creek activity I saw a promise of learning and fun. The promise delivered. About 40 kids joined forces with park provided nets and buckets to catch a variety of creek critters. Afterwards, we learned details about each of them before all were returned to the creek. The water penny, for example, starts out looking like a small brown disk smaller than the tip of your pinky, but eventually turns into a beetle. There were also a variety of little crawly things that look a bit like flecks of moss until they move. These turn into dragonfly looking creatures. There were a number of other assorted water critters that make creek life mighty interesting up close. Usually, I don’t spend the time to look so carefully, so this was sheer pleasure. And my son is at the age where he loves to touch everything. There was plenty of touching allowed.
It was so simple to slip on close-toe shoes that could get wet and head off into a creek and it didn’t cost a dime. I hope you have time to find a creek near you to do the same. Look for later posts today on wading safety tips and wading footwear.