Quest
Sarah Gonzalez
Moving from an urban to a rural environment in northern New Jersey at the age of seven renewed the sense of freedom in play through my adolescence. For the first time I was able to play without limits, making up adventures and marking hiking trails with my friends to take on in the vast wooded valley beyond our backyards. Quest celebrates the hands-on spirit of exploring the outdoors and recognizes the valuable learning opportunities these experiences offer. The Lake Hopatcong State Park is a small concentration of the larger ecosystem in the surrounding watershed. Through a series of activities that engage basic mapping and observation skills, kids between the ages of 5 and 9 will be introduced to the plants and wildlife of the environment and the historical monuments that serve as significant landmarks. At the visitor center, parents can purchase Quest and spend the rest of the afternoon in the park with their kids. The cotton bag unfolds and the interior surface exposes a map of the grounds to be explored. The booklet included contains directions for each activity and space to document key findings. In the next two years, a field trip for fourth grade students from the surrounding school districts will be organized to teach students about the environment and history of the lake, including a boat ride on the water. Quest will be a wonderful first step to spark the interest of this upcoming generation of youth and reinforce the ongoing education initiatives within the community.