Page 13 - Leisure Living Magazine Spring 2019

Put-in-Bay’s StoryWalk Trail: A Free, Fun Outdoor Reading Experience For Families
By Sherri Roth, Feature Writer
Beautiful South
Bass Island recently
became home to a
StoryWalkTM proj-
ect, an innovative
approach to child
literacy that blends
reading, exercise
and the glorious,
no-cost joys of be-
ing in nature. Open
spring, summer
and fall with free
admission for res-
idents and visitors
alike, this unique
850 ft. storyboard
trail was installed
by Erie Islands
Library and the
Put-in-Bay Town-
ship Park District
on an established
mulched path of
the Dodge Woods
Preserve. Located
at Langram and
Thompson Roads, the preserve has a bike rack on site as well as vehicle parking spaces.
Created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT, the StoryWalkTM concept is refreshingly sim- ple: laminated pages of a children’s storybook are attached to wooden stakes along a nature trail. As kiddos and their families stroll down the path, at their own pace, they are directed to the next pag- es in the story. StoryWalkTM now has developed into a world-wide “outdoor adventure in reading” project in collaboration with the Kellogg Hub- bard Library.
The Put-in-Bay StoryWalkTM Trail in Dodge Woods Preserve consists of seventeen storyboards and stakes, equally spaced. Each station features two laminated pages of a delightful children’s book displayed in an aluminum-framed acrylic display case. Additionally, a plaque at each station
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recognizes donors who contributed monies to that par- ticular storyboard. As both young and adult readers enjoy each story- board at their own pace, in the midst of fragrant green- ery, trees and the soothing sounds of nature, the final sto- ryboard station ap- pears, displaying an acknowledgment of the person/per- sons who donated the children’s book itself. All guests are encouraged to sign the logbook at the trail’s end. In the first six weeks after opening in August
2018, 474 names
were logged!
The StoryWalkTM gets lengthy applause from me as a retired educator. During my teaching years I saw first-hand the benefits and rewards of outdoor learning. A dose of nature with a struc- tured lesson plan did a world of good for the most stressed or inattentive students, relaxing and re-focusing them by way of sunshine, fresh air and being grounded with the earth. Holding class outside reminded them that they were part of something bigger and more complex, some- thing beautiful and even magical. And of course,
it also was just plain fun!
Whether you are a Put-in-Bay year ‘round
resident, a seasonal resident or a summer visitor, make plans this year with the kiddos to frequent the StoryWalkTM Trail at Dodge Woods Preserve. It’s a new, wonderful twist on what the island has to offer families, no wallets needed!
Avery, Beckett and Braylee Dobos on
a summer outing to StoryWalk on Put-in-Bay.
Spring 2019 LeisureLiving | 13