Crystal Spring Farm

Brunswick, Maine

CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES

www.btlt.org

Additional Resources for Children

Maine Audubon: Camps and Preschool Programs They have preschool programs throughout the year for children ages 2-5. Vacation Day Camp is available during school-vacation weeks in February and April for children grades 1-5. Summer day camps to explore the natural world are available for children six to eleven. http://maineaudubon.org Maine DIFW The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife offers a variety of education opportunities for all ages. http://www.maine.gov/ifw/education/index.htm Cathance River Education Alliance CREA offers a variety of camps, school programs, community programs, and environmental youth leadership opportunities for children of all ages. http://creamaine.org

Ø CREA Online Nature Games for Kids- http://creamaine.org/galleries/games/

Farm Camp at Crystal Spring Farm The camp welcomes children ages 1-15 at the family-run organic farm. Campers will experience the connections between growing and eating healthy foods and taking care of their bodies and our land. Yoga Farm Camp has recently been added. http://crystalspringcsa.com/farm-camp/

All you need to complete these activities are a pencil and a sense of adventure. They can be completed all

at once or over time, it is up to you!

These activities are designed for children between the ages of 3-10. Younger children will need more help from parents. For young children, parents can

use the questions to create conversations.

These activities are design to get you outside and to notice details. The challenges are designed to get you to learn factual information about the details

you observe and get others interacting with nature.

These activities are intended for the light green trails on the Crystal Spring Farm property as shown on the map. When completing these activities, please

be sure to stay on the trails at all times for safety and to protect the property.

Crystal Spring Farm: Crystal Spring Farm is not only a beautiful piece of land, but is also an important part of Brunswick's history. Centuries before the property was called CSF, Native Americans lived on and used the land. European settlers arrived in the early 1500s and converted the land to farmland. The land continued to be farmed and was owned by the Edwards family until the 1940s when Dr. Maurice Dionne bought the dairy farm. The Dionne family produced and sold Dee's Ice Cream through the 1970s. BTLT acquired the property between 1994 and 2008 with strong community support, naming it Crystal Spring Farm. It has since become a model for farmland preservation.

Congratulations on completing the activity booklet! You are now a

BTLT certified Junior Naturalist. Your last challenge is to spread this knowledge among your friends and

family.

If you bring your finished activity book to the BTLT office, you will

receive your Junior Naturalist certificate.

Trail Restrictions & Rules: • Open dawn to dusk • Hiking and cross-country skiing only • No off-road vehicles, bicycles, snowmobiles

or horses • No fires or camping • Please stay on marked trails and out of

fields (fields are leased and managed separately).

• Hunting by permission only Dog Policy at Crystal Spring Farm: Dogs are not allowed on trails south of Pleasant Hill to prevent impacts on livestock and conflicts with farm animals. Leashed dogs are allowed on trails north of Pleasant Hill Road. Leashed, well-behaved dogs are allowed at the Saturday's Farmers' Market. Please respect these rules to ensure the continued safety of people and animals, and to protect the conservation values of this property. Thank you for your cooperation.

Our Mission: To preserve, protect, and steward the cherished landscapes and rich natural resources of our communities, to

provide access for recreation, and to support local agriculture and other traditional land

uses, now and for generations to come.

Activity 16: Summer Fun

Go to the Crystal Spring Farmers’ Market in July and August and buy a box of blueberries. Then go to the grocery store and buy a box of blueberries. How are they similar? How are they different? Why do you think this is?

Challenge: Using a book or the internet, try to discover where in the world the blueberries at the

grocery store come from.

Activity 15: Trail Challenges East Trail: How many bridges are there on the trail? How many benches? Ravine Loop: How many of these signs are there?

Can you find the one that is upside down? Blueberry Loop: What vegetables can you see growing in the farm field next to sections of the trail? (Please do not go into the farm field). What fruit grows along this trail? Can you find the plants they grow on? Quarry Trail: Sometimes, you can see farm animals in the fields near this trail. What do you see, and how many? Quarry Loop: Can you spot the birdhouse? Can you find Robert C. Porter?

Note: Map Not To Scale

Activity 1: The Sounds of the Forest

Sit in silence for five minutes. What sounds do you hear?

Where do you think they are coming from?

Challenge: Try repeating the sounds to a parent, sibling, or friend. See if they can figure out what

animal you are imitating.

Activity 14: Whiffing

Find a comfortable spot on the trail and stop walking. Close your eyes for

two minutes and focus on the smells of nature. What do you smell?

Where do you think these smells come from?

Challenge: How do the smells of the forest

compare to the smells in your home?

Activity 2: Leonardo da Vinci

Walk along one of the trails until you find something that you find beautiful. Using the blank page, sketch what you see in silence. Then explain your drawing to a friend, parent, or sibling. What did you choose to include in your drawing? What did you not include in your drawing? Why?

Activity 13: Nature’s Color Wheel

Keep a list of or color in all of the colors that you observe along the trail.

Challenge: Perform this activity at different times

of the year and compare the list of colors.

Activity 12: Trail Recipe

When walking around the trails, look all around you. What do you like about the trails? What do you not like about the trails? What do you wish were here that is not? Draw or describe your ideal trail.

Challenge: Volunteer your time with BTLT to help improve and maintain the trails.

Activity 3: A Shared Land

While walking along a trail look down at the ground and all around you. Try to find signs of animal use of the trails. For example, paw prints, scat, nests, animal dens, signs of digging, or woodpecker holes. Write down or draw what you see. What animals do you think left these clues behind?

Challenge: Using a book or computer at home, library, or school try to learn more about how to

notice signs of animal.

Activity 11: The Colors of the Wind

Choose your favorite trail or favorite part of a trail. Write a song or poem about it.

Challenge: Sing your song or read your poem to a sibling, parent, or friend.

Activity 4: Hansel and Gretel

After walking along a whole trail or part of a trail, retrace your steps and carefully observe the path. Did you leave behind any signs of your presence? Write down or draw the types of signs that you left behind.

How could you minimize your effect on the trails?

Challenge: Try to walk along the path leaving no trace!

Activity 10: The Name Game

The names of the various trails are listed below. Once you have walked all of the trails, what would you name them based on your experience and observations?

East Trail: Ravine Loop: Blueberry Loop: Quarry Trail: Quarry Loop:

Activity 5: Detective

While walking along these trails, look all around you. What clues can you find that people have been in these areas recently (e.g. litter or footprints) or long ago (barbed wire fencing or stone walls)? Can you find other signs that people have been on this land? Write down or draw these signs of human activity.

Do you think past and present owners of this land have taken good care of it?

Challenge: What can you do to take good care of the land? Picking up trash can help to protect

wildlife and keep nature looking beautiful!

Activity 9: A Quest

Using the blank piece of paper, make a map or write directions for one of the trails or part of a trail using natural landmarks such as trees, rocks, water, or a change in elevation. Use the natural features that are the most eye-catching.

Challenge: Give your map to someone and see if they can follow it!

Activity 6: Who are you Mr. Tree?

While walking around the trails, how many different types of trees do you see? What tells you that one tree is different from another? (Hint: look at the bark and leaf type and shape.) In the space below, describe or draw your favorite tree.

Challenge: Using a book or computer at home,

library, or school try to identify the trees from your descriptions or drawings.

Activity 7: Forest Floor

As you walk along the trails, look at that ground. Does it change from place to place? Does it change from soft to hard, dry to wet, or dirt to sand? Describe or draw how the forest floor changes.

What is your favorite forest floor?

Challenge: Using a book or computer at home, library, or school try to identify the types of soil

you saw from your descriptions or drawings.

Activity 8: A Scavenger Hunt

Try to find each of the things below. When you find them, check them off the list, but leave all items you find on the trails.

o A bird's feather o A pinecone o An insect o A rock that is more than one color o A flower o An oak leaf o A maple leaf o A balsam fir tree o A mushroom o A berry o Moving water o Standing water o A bird’s nest o A squirrel o An animal hole o A bird

Oak Leaf Maple Leaf Balsam Fir

Challenge: Create your own scavenger hunt and give it to someone to complete