Achieve Family Nature Night Achieves Smiles All Around
Achieve families were so ready for a night of entertainment that some started showing up at 4pm wanting the fun to begin early! Once the doors opened, students and parents had plenty of fun activities to choose from as they filtered in for the evening. Combined with free pizza and an amazing raffle, the event was enjoyable and exciting for all.
In the front hall, many stopped by to check off some of the things from the Generation Wild list of things to do by the time you turn 12. One of the activities could even be attempted at the event! Number 70, see who can jump the furthest, was set up with many different animals and how far they can jump. Students attempted to jump as far as a snowshoe hare, an impressive 10 feet, but no human standing still can match a mountain lion at 25 feet! Wildlife trivia was also a hit for those willing to test their knowledge about the wildlife in Colorado. Some stayed around to try three and four questions in a row!
Bird Conservancy of the Rockies set up a great activity that challenged students to identify birds by their markings from a distance with binoculars. Could you tell what bird was pictured? Maybe you got a stamp to prove your prowess! Butterfly Pavilion brought some awesome arthropods and a lot of cool information on these interesting invertebrates. Did you stop by to see the black widow? History Colorado had children and adults stopping by to try trivia and history bingo while learning some cool facts along the way. Did you take your picture in front of the state flag?
Barr Lake State Park and Mountain Side Gear Rental had something in common during this Nature Night, lots of excited kids! Who doesn’t want to color their own t-shirt and eat s’mores? Barr Lake promoted boat safety with fun t-shirts while Mountain Side set up an indoor s’mores station that even had little chairs for patient kids waiting to brown marshmallows. Talk about popular!
When 6 o’clock rolled around, everyone took a little break from activities for the chance to win some useful and fun outdoor gear. One luck family also won the family grand prize of a year-long State Parks Pass! Some winners jumped up and cheered when their number was called while others claimed their prizes quietly but with a wide grin showing. A few students were amazed that they got exactly what they had been hoping for, such as the tent and fishing poles! It’s wonderful to see people so excited about doing things in the outdoors!
A&H Adventures ran the ever-popular archery station in the gym while Backyard Bass fishermen cast for plastic fish right next to them. Many kids alternated between the two activities until the very end of the evening, trying for bullseyes and just one more fish!
Many happy families left at the end of the night looking forward to fun in the coming spring. The SOLE program would like to thank all of our partners, volunteers, Achieve staff, and everyone who attended that made the night a success!
