Nature's Helpers of Prospect Park

I have been living in Ditmas Park for almost ten years and I have to admit that I didn't start searching for activities closer to home until I had my first son almost two and a half years ago. Now that he is an active toddler, we have been able to take active walking tours of the neighborhood and Prospect Park.

The park is beautiful and we stumble upon something new each time we explore it. Last weekend, we decided to go to the Audubon Center to create some arts and crafts. When we arrived we were asked to participate in a new program called, Nature's Helpers.

The program is described as an opportunity to spend time outside, enjoying nature, taking a tour of the park while helping to keep it clean (gloves, trash bags and trash grabbers will be provided). At first, I wasn't sure what to think but my 2-year-old and his 4-year-old friend were excited to help clean up the park especially while using the cool trash grabbers. So, we participated and the children loved it.

We talked about what is and isn't garbage, why it is important to keep the park clean and how we have to preserve nature. After the 'tour" was over, they talked about all the garbage they found in the park and were proud to be "nature's helpers." They attempted to pick up additional trash all the way home! I am ecstatic that they were able to participate in such a program that taught them how to clean up their environment, live responsibly and begin to understand how their efforts would continually benefit the natural flora and fauna of the park. The program runs on the weekends from 2-3pm from the Audubon Center.