By Ashleigh Wolbrink
The end of the semester is approaching, so it is important for students to take care of their mental health. One way to do that is by going outside.
Going outside can help with mental health.
“It’s going to help boost your well-being overall by physically being active, walking around,” said Samantha Kotarski, a program educator and registrar at Blandford Nature Center.
Throughout the month of April, anyone can go to Blandford Nature Center for free.
Located at 1715 Hillburn Ave, students have access to 8 miles of hiking trails on 264 acres of land.
Kotarski shared, “We’ve been here for over 50 years. We are actually one of the largest community owned nature centers in Kent County”.
From kindergarten to 9th grade, I went to C. A. Frost Elementary School, where I got the opportunity to go into Blandford Nature Center a few times a week and learn in an alternative classroom. The Elementary school buddies right up to Blandford Nature Center, where students go out during E-Lab.
E-Lab, or Environmental Lab, is a class where students get the opportunity to go outside and learn about nature.
“I like taking walks in the forest there, because they got nice trails, ” said Chuck Ignatoski, 9, a third grader at C.A.Frost Elementary School.
We would take field trips to the Nature Center where we were able to learn about making Maple Syrup by going to the SugarShack after we had tapped and collected our own sap. Or we would go to the old schoolhouse that was built in 1853.
“We usually go, like, in the startup land first, like, there’s like, the Sugar Shack. And we usually go by Brandywine Creek,” Chuck said.
You don’t need to stop into the visiting center, you can just walk right onto the trails.
Blandford Nature Center is six miles from Grand Rapids Community College’s main downtown campus.
Throughout the Nature Center, they have many different rescued animals to see, such as Buddy the Red-Tailed Hawk, Baby the Barred Owl, Lefty the Turkey Vulture, Poe the Common Raven, Apollo the Bobcat, Leonard the Painted Turtle, and Maple the Boer Goat.
“I like the chickens,” said one young patron while others mentioned how they liked the bobcat and the bunnies, among other animal enclosures.
The visiting center is open Monday through Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm. The trails are open daily from dusk till dawn.
“We come three to four times a year, during the free month. Our kids love to watch the demonstrations,” said one parent.
Blandford Nature Center is a place for people to learn and explore all while getting outside and helping their mental health.
Blandford Nature Center has three different locations; Blandford Nature Center, Blandford Farm, and The Highlands. All three are within walking distance of each other.
If you go and enjoy yourself on the property and want to continue going after the month of April is over, you would just need to pay the admission fee of $5 per visit, or you can purchase a membership.
For more information on memberships, check out their website.
