We regret to announce that the Old Croton Aqueduct Keepers House will be closed until further notice.  But don't forget the Trail is always open! 

(Courtesy of our Friends at Teatown in Ossining)

With children staying home from school in the coming weeks, we wanted to share some family-friendly outdoor activities with our community as we practice social distancing:

1. Carefully roll over a log and look underneath. There is an entire world inside and under logs! Look for worms, beetles, ants, spiders, millipedes, and centipedes.

2. Nature scavenger hunt: Cut out shapes and colors and look for them in nature. For example, look for something red; try to find an object shaped like a circle, etc.

3. Bring toys like cars, trucks, dolls outdoors. Create an imaginary outdoor adventure for the characters. Scoop dirt, leaves, and seeds with trucks. Create ramps for the cars out of tree bark, rocks, and sticks.

4. Build an insect hotel using sticks, rocks, seeds, and leaves.

5. Find a small stream and make boats using leaves, and twigs. Float the boats down the stream.

6. Take an old egg carton and begin a rock collection. Put one rock in each slot.

7. Make nature soup: Gather sticks, rocks, leaves, etc. and stir them up in a bucket. Experiment with adding water or soil to the mixture to see how the "ingredients" change.

8. Make a shelter for an animal or fairy using sticks and mud.

9. Bird and squirrel count: Take a walk in the woods or in the neighborhood and count how many birds and squirrels you see.

10. Take a pad and pencil or crayons outside and draw what you see. It can be a tree, clouds, animals, or anything that looks interesting!

Photo by Janko Ferlič at Unsplash