Park in a Box encourages out of the box thinking

Jun. 30—Leah Walthery remembers kneeling down in the dirt to contemplate ants with a precocious five-year-old girl in Riverside Park. The moment sticks out in her mind because of the girl's eccentric footwear.

"She was wearing Christmas socks pulled up to her knees and these little sparkly sneakers, and we're looking at these little ants," Walthery said. "Then there were a pair of brothers. We spent some time looking for mushrooms and we talked about where you'd find mushrooms. We always talk about, 'Do you eat this? No.' We talk about being careful about what you touch and that sort of thing."

Walthery, the administrative and educational coordinator at Cass County Soil and Water Conservation District, met the kids when she was a guest at Park in a Box. Park in a Box is a free new program put on by the Logansport Parks and Recreation Department that hosts an hour of education and play at various parks. It takes place on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

"Anything we can do to help children be more curious and have a true sense of connectivity, anything we can do to help kids learn and teach with great enthusiasm is time well spent with children and with families," Walthery said.

Walthery was asked to lead the Park in a Box event on June 9. She frequently uses scavenger hunts to teach kids about different aspects of the environment, so she planned a "Kids Go Wild" scavenger hunt for the event. She said the scavenger hunt encouraged excellent dialogue.

"I almost always put trash, like human trash, on the scavenger hunt," she said. "We talk about why it's there and should we pick it up. I almost always include poison ivy if we're outside and things that are good for every kid to know about. I always include something to do with birds, like birds to listen for."

After the guest presentation, the kids have time for free play. They can draw with sidewalk chalk, run under the giant parachute, or climb through the obstacle course set up at each Park in a Box event.

"I brought the scavenger hunt, and then we all just played," Walthery said. "And boy did we play. We had a great time."

Kara Yax, Logansport's recreation director, said Park in a Box was inspired by her childhood.

"I grew up in a house with a mom who did not drive," she said. "We didn't go anywhere. We stayed home and played outside, and I look back on that with fond memories."

Yax took her own children to the pool, story time at the library, and free movies at the movie theater in the summers when they were growing up. However, she recognized that not every family has that luxury.

"I thought, 'I really want to do something for the kids who are going to the park because they can't get to the pool or they can't get to Kokomo to go to Kokomo Beach or all those fun things that a lot of families get to do in this area,'" she said. "I wanted to bring an hour of extra fun to them each week, and I wanted to go to all the different parks so I wouldn't miss anybody."

The rest of the Parks and Recreation Department were on board with Yax's idea, but Yax had to find the money to make it happen.

Luckily, Yax enjoys fundraising and found partners willing to help. Donations from Logansport Mayor Chris Martin and local business Nana and Papa's New Life Resale made her idea become a reality.

Yax hopes to receive more donations next year so she can purchase more toys for the kids. Her goal is to have enough toys to change out each week so the kids have a greater variety.

"I would love to see some lawn games like giant Jenga or giant checkers, things like that," Yax said. "Then we can switch things out to keep it fresh each week."

She also expressed hope for volunteers to teach topics like kids' yoga. Other members of the Parks Board suggested ideas like a baseball day or basketball day.

So far, Park in a Box events have taught children about topics like protecting the environment, reducing, reusing and recycling, and the importance of reading. Previous events featured Waltherly's scavenger hunt, book readings, crafts, and coloring activities.

At another upcoming Park in a Box event later next month, Black Dog Coffee owner Scott Johnson will use his science background to teach the kids about geology.

Yax said working with others in the community to make Park in a Box happen has introduced her to many new people and demonstrated how much people in Logansport care. She said people in the community have hearts for giving.

"Partnering with all these people and all these organizations is really fun, and I think it gives us a huge opportunity for growth and an opportunity for fun for children in the community and families," Yax said. "Not everybody has a giant parachute with beanbags at their house or tunnels or all the supplies to make and obstacle course, so it gives families an opportunity to play together."