Cabin In The Woods {Silent Sunday}

I thought we were encouraging exhaustion by accepting an invitation to an overnight in the woods in the midst of packing and moving. But unplugged time in the Appalachian back country turned out to be most relaxing. We hiked wet trails, played with sparklers, ate well, and then Lil experienced shooting for the first time. We feel grounded and ready to settle in a new house this week.

Lessons in Spring at Inniswood Metro Gardens

I often forget about Inniswood Metro Gardens in Westerville, Ohio. The park is a little out of the way and the highly stylized gardens are more formal than I prefer. So when a friend and I took seven kids to Innis last week, I was pleasantly surprised to explore the relatively new - and fabulously educational - children's garden.

The Sister's Garden is a 2.8 acre child's paradise opened in 2002. Beyond the kid-friendly sculptures at the entrance is a playhouse and shed for dramatic play, a water feature open in warm weather, and small fruit orchard.

The early readers in the group used maps to guide us through the rest of the children's area. They followed along the Native American story stone path that leads to a statue. Continuing on a wooden boardwalk led us to the tree house with levels for climbers of different abilities. From there, a stone path took us to the Secret Garden, a recreation of a broken-down, walled garden with quotes, jewels, and sculptures hidden among the intentionally overgrown plants.

After lunch, my crew of three walked to the frog pond to the right of the main entrance.

The kids loved spotting turtles and frogs hiding among the cat tails. Our eagle-eyes spied other parts of the amphibian life cycle - eggs (bullfrog, I'm guessing) and tadpoles. How cool to see all stages of life in one place!

The boardwalk trail beyond the frog pond included labelled wildflowers. Lil and her friends remembered some of the names from last week's hike at Highbanks.

Though the rules about the formal gardens prickle my anti-authoritarian instincts, I must visit Inniswood more often. We observed and learned so much and there are many gardens and areas yet to explore.

INNISWOOD METRO GARDENS 940 S. Hempstead Road Westerville, OH 43081 Open 7 am to dark daily

Know if you go:

• Food is not allowed in the formal gardens. There are picnic tables across the parking lot from the park.
• Pack a change of clothes for kids as there are many opportunities to get wet or dirty.
• Remind children to stay on trails and not pick the flowers.
• Check the program schedule for preschool play days, gardening workshops, and special events. The Inniswood volunteers and herb society are offering a plant sale May 5th and 6th.
• Admission is free. Thank you Columbus taxpayers!

Ohio State Nature at Highbanks Metro Park

One sunny day this week, our family and two friends took a hike at Highbanks Metro Park to stretch our legs and spy on the eagle's nest. Little did we know what else we would find. We observed the Ohio state wildflower, bird, tree, mammal, the United States national bird and Ben Franklin's national bird nomination in an easy three mile hike. Can you name the specially designated species? I'm proud to say that Lil identified them all!

As we approached the eagle overlook platform, another birder alerted us to a flock of wild turkeys up the road. They had mostly moved on by the time we approached but we saw a male moving stealthily across the trail. The kids gobbled, though we heard nothing from the real turkeys.

We found the eagle's nest. Both parents were there at first. One left, soared, and returned to the nest while we watched. Alex thinks he saw the head of a chick; I trust his eagle eyes.

We listened to birds and woodpeckers along the way, spotting a brown creeper, downy woodpecker, Northern cardinal (Ohio state bird) and several other songbirds.

One of the children we were with wanted to know the name of this tree. It's the buckeye, Ohio's state tree! We also observed the Pool family gravestones, prehistoric earthworks, and a valley that demonstrates two kinds of Ohio bedrock, all labelled with engaging signs.

I love the ancient Ohio state wildflower, the trillium. We saw several along the trail in the company of spring beauties, may apples, Dutchman's britches, asters, violets, and more.

On the return loop, a flock of white tailed deer (Ohio's state mammal) ran through the woods. They stopped and ate within our eyesight, camouflaged in the trees.

Easter weekend is a great time to take a few hours to soak up the sun and observe nature. If you are in Columbus, I highly recommend the Overlook trail to see a variety of woodland life including the bald eagle nest.

If you go:

• Park in the Oak Coves picnic area, the first picnic area on the left after entering the park.
• Bring binoculars - the eagles are barely visible with the naked eye.
• Carry a snack or water if you might need it.
• Visit the Oak Coves restrooms before you leave - there are none along the trail.
• Expect to spend at least 90 minutes on the 3 mile trail if trekking with kids. Adults could complete the trail in an hour with few stops.