Like Lewis & Clark did

A kid's program to learn about outdoors

The Missouri Department of Conservation has a program to help kids learn about nature and the outdoors. The plan calls for keeping a journal-or diary-like Lewis & Clark did 200 years ago.

Heather, Aaron and Travis Gemmell of near Pevely have suggestions on how to get the most out of the journaling experience. They completed a similar program two years ago.

Earlier this summer, the MDC announced its 2006-07 plan for "Journaling with Lewis & Clark." Two centuries ago, President Jefferson sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark from St. Louis to explore the Louisiana Purchase all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

Jefferson wanted the expedition leaders to keep a detailed journal of what they found. And, they also were to bring back drawings and samples from their two-year trek.

The MDC program calls for families to "explore" nine outdoor and nature centers across Missouri and keep a journal of their experiences. Kids have until May 31, 2007, to complete the nine-stop journal.

MDC Director John Hoskins even paraphrased President Jefferson's original charge to Lewis & Clark in describing the present-day exploration. Hoskins' charge called for visiting the nine centers and write observations "with great pains and accuracy."

The nine sites in the 2006-2007 program are:

The Gemmells completed a similar journaling experience in 2004.

The Gemmell kids received commemorative pins each time they made a journal entry. After completing all nine visits, they were entered in a statewide prize drawing.

Travis, now 13, won a Coleman gas camping stove. He's still got the stove and uses it on the family's frequent camping trips.

Seventeen-year-old Heather said the nature center stops are best when done with the whole family. She also said including nature center stops as a part of a longer trip was good. She said one stop was included in a vacation trip to Bull Shoals Lake in southwest Missouri.

Travis said he got added fun when the family brought along their bikes to make side trips. For instance, a trip to the Columbia Bottom CA in St. Louis County included a family bike trip along the newly paved biking trails there.

Fifteen-year-old Aaron said he liked nature center stops that could include fishing. He said his favorite stop was the Lost Valley Hatchery. The hatchery didn't allow fishing but there were other opportunities in nearby lakes and streams.

In their journaling entries, the Gemmell kids included pencil "rubbings" of leaves, animal tracks and other nature items. Original Lewis & Clark explorers brought back actual samples.

Sometimes, the Gemmell kids were asked to write a journal entry. Sometime the entries were serious. But, other times, they were written with tongue in cheek.

At one, Travis wrote a poem from the standpoint of a rat:

"Tick, Tick, Tick. A cat walks by.
"He looks at you with small black eyes.
"You can see its fat stomach go back and forth
"And its long tail go back and forth.
"He shows his teeth
"So you leave him be."

At another stop, Heather wrote a poem from the viewpoint of a fish. It started, "Blup, Blup. Where's food? I'm starving….."

When asked what they learned from the journaling experience, the kids were serious and sometimes not so serious.

Aaron said one thing he learned about Lewis & Clark was that "they were two people." Oftentimes, a description of their trip uses only the two last names. Aaron's comment has reached the status of being a family joke.

If you'd like to know more about the 2006-2007 "Journaling with Lewis & Clark," visit www.mdc.mo.gov/teacher/lc/journal.htm or call an MDC regional office.