Gym Class #4: 7 Top Fishing Spots in the US

Our Catch, Photo by Krenda

Wanting to share nature and sports with your kids? It's time to go fishing.
Fish, so graceful, you can get hypnotized watching them swim back and forth.  When your kids catch one, that's when peace turns to excitement.

You can go to a top destination, but we've found the local parks to provide plenty of excitement for beginners.  Check out license requirements.  Our kids caught this fish at the Voice of America pond in West Chester, Ohio.

When my kids got older, my dad bought a fishing boat to use in his pond in the photo below.   The kids relived the rush of catching a fish.

Tips

-Safety first.  Talk about fishing hooks.
-Go early, avoid the heat of the day.  Bring sunscreen & hats.

If you want to make the experience more memorable, plan ahead to include fishing in a trip.  The US and nearby islands are known for quality fishing.  According to americasbestonline.net, here's 7 places included in their Best Fishing Holes in the USA:
1.  King Salmon Fishing in Alaska:  look for youth only fisheries (anglers age 15 or younger) - Campbell Creek in Anchorage, AK (Sat. in June), and Seward King Salmon Fishery (specific dates)
2.  Salt Water Fishing in the Florida Keys
3.  Trout fishing in Yellowstone National Park
4. Tarpon Adventures of Galveston
5.  Rogue River Wilderness Adventures - Oregon
6. Montana Fishing and Fly Fishing
7.  Lake Sinclair

 -Set expectations or plan for higher odds.  When kids don't catch any fish, anticipate the disappointment.  It's happened to our family - rent a fishing boat at the park, but catch nothing.  Another time we planned ahead.  We made the extra effort to drive to a paid fishing pond/restaurant near the Smoky Mountains and the sure catch was a big hit.  See my cabin rental blog www.lightningbuglodge.blogspot.com

Art Lesson #5: 7 Art Festivals to a Creative Mind

You can even provide edutainment at a birthday party.  To inspire and encourage creativity, consider a paint your own pottery party.  Each kid chooses a piece and paints their project.  The pottery studio in Evansville, IN allowed us to bring in food and cake, so the entire celebration happened in one location.  The boys and girls had fun and everyone gained a unique art piece as a party favor.

Paint your own studios seem to pop up in every town.  If you don't have a local studio, Michaels art chain store offers party rooms and you could buy pottery kits as the project.

The price can add up fast with a per person fee if you have a large group.  For a cheaper alternative, find a local art festival as another way to provide your kid a pottery experience. 

Here's seven art festivals:

1.  Fine Arts Festival - Ridgeland, Mississippi; April - Renaissance at Colony Park includes a Childrens Creative Crafts Corner; lessons about art history and culture while kids make clay pottery, mosaics, or fiber art
http://www.ridgelandartsfest.com/


2.  Wheeling Arts Fest - Wheeling, WV, June - clay learn and take project, learn slab, pinch, and coil techniques.  Other classes include fiber arts and acrylic painting.
http://wheelingartsfest.com/

3.  Palo Alto Clay & Glass Festival - Palo Alto, CA; July - large two day festival with over 150 artists
http://www.acga.net/cgi-bin/DJcalendar.cgi?TEMPLATE=shows-detail.html&EVENTNO=00084

4.  CLAY festival - Silver City, NM; July - childrens tile class at Silver City Museum only $5, free Clay Play Exploring Our Wilderness Heritage class for grade 3 to 6 - register early, limit 15 kids/workshop at the Gila Valley or Silver City library; free tour of the Syzygy Tile Factory
http://www.clayfestival.com/

5.  Minnesota Pottery Festival - Hutchinson, MN - kids tent at The Clay Coyote Studio; raku, throwing, and handbuiling demos
http://www.mnpotteryfestival.com/

6.  Clayfolk - Medford, Oregon - indoor event at the Medford Armory, mostly a show and sale, but also offers a Kids Clay Area where kids can create their own clay art
http://www.clayfolk.org/

7.  San Antonio Potters Guild Clay Festival - San Antonio, TX; Dec. - $5 includes museum entrance, kids under 12 free, 30 potters and gallery tours

State Park #2: Hocking Hills State Park, Logan Ohio - geology lessons

Get out of the house and go explore and you will see majestic cliffs, waterfalls, gorges, and more. Especially if you drive to Hocking Hills State Park. I've been to a lot of State Parks, but none like this one in Ohio.  While hiking, you have time to discuss geological processes.  Gorges are mainly formed because of the flow of water or lava.  Smaller than canyons, gorges still have deep, narrow valleys with a river or stream running.  Even easier than creating your own science lesson, check out the park schedule for educational talks hosted by naturalists. 

Besides admiring the rocks, go on a hunt for waterfalls.  This photo shows Cedar Falls, the largest in terms of water volume.  From the photo, it's difficult to tell size.  It spans 50 feet with water cascading between limestone and ending in a pool.  I'd also recommend the waterfall at Ash Cave.  You'll be impressed with the size of the 700-foot long cave.

Gorges make beautiful scenery for a hike with your family.  Two of the top three parks winning the USA Today 10 Best Readers' Choice Award Best State Park rating have well known gorges:

1) Letchworth State Park (Castile, New York) rated #1:  includes Genesee River Gorge, sometimes referred as "Grand Canyon of the East"
2) Watkins Glen State Park (New York) rated #3:  includes Gorges of Finger Lakes, 200 foot cliffs, 19 waterfalls, part of the Finger Lake State Parks

Readers rated Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in Michigan as the #2 state park.

Here's 9 Other gorges you could visit with your family:
1.  Quechee Gorge, Vermont: (Quechee State Park):  deepest gorge in Vermont, view from US Route 4 bridge
2.  Bluestone River Gorge, West Virginia: canyon land around the Bluestone National Scenic River and protected by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (est. 1988)
3.  Rio Grande Gorge, New Mexico: approx. 50 mile gorge beginning near the Colorado border, part of the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument (designated 2013)
4.  Avalance Gorge, Avalanche Cree, Montana:  narrow chasms near the falls within Glacier National Park
5.  Linville Gorge, North Carolina: part of the Pisgah National Forest and sourced by Linville River, also claims "Grand Canyon of the East"
6.  Bad River Gorge, Wisconsin (Copper Falls State Park): walls can tower up to 100 feet above the river bed, watch for flash floods
7.  Cathedral Gorge, Nevada near Panaca, Nevada: (Cathedral Gorge State Park) established 1935, early construction included picnicking facilities built by the Civilian Conservation Corps
8.  Malad Gorge, Idaho; (Malad Gorge State Park):  narrow steel walk way across the gorge
9.  Columbia Gorge, Oregon Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area: managed by the Columbia River Gorge Commission and the US Forest Service, 80 mile canyon up to 4,000 feet deep and spans Oregon and Washington