Kids get back to nature at Lake County forest program

Kelly Holverson of Beach Park and her daughter Brighton, 3, meticulously placed sticks, leaves and acorns near a tree Tuesday as they created a fairy house during "Playdate with Nature" at Half Day Forest Preserve near Lincolnshire.

The Lake County Forest Preserve program featured painting with mud, creating fairy houses and skimming the pond for aquatic creatures.

"It's a chance for kids to play like children used to play. To play with natural items, scooping in the muck and muddy water to see what lives in the water," said environmental education instructor Jan Ward. "Playing with mud and being creative and using their imaginations."

Educators Rachell Utt and Briana Suriano waded into the marshy pond and looked for aquatic creatures, like crayfish and tadpoles, to show the young children.