Art Lesson #13: Six Giant Troll Statues at Morton Arboretum

 Joe the Guardian, trail up the hill and overlooking the highway

The Six Forgotten Giants in Copenhagen, Denmark, designed by artist Thomas Dambo, is celebrated art in Europe.  Travel is restricted to Europe, but you can find the artist's work in the United States.  The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois is home to Thomas Dambo's first large-scale exhibit in the United States.  Since Thomas is known for using recycled materials and promoting sustainability, it's fitting that an arboretum combines such art with nature.

I've visited the Morton Arboretum before the pandemic.  My friend had a membership and invited me to Passport Europe Festival one September afternoon.  The festival is so big that the event holds multiple stages simultaneously.  You have to choose between dancing and musical performances.  Often lots of audience interaction, joy, and laughter.  My friend certainly giggled when successfully volunteering me to learn Polish dancing in front of an audience.  I was so impressed with the park.  It's much larger than I expected.  I later learned it covers 1,700 acres and has 222,000 live plants combined with scientific research, making it internationally known.

During the pandemic, it's still a great place to visit.  The crowd is limited by timed-entry with non-refundable tickets.  With such wide, open spaces, social distancing feels so easy.  While more expensive than local or state parks ($15 per adult, $10 child ages 2-17), you also contribute to a great cause.  Joy Morton, son of the founder of Arbor Day and founder of Morton Salt Company, created the arboretum after studying botanical gardens in Europe.  The non-profit organization collects and studies plants from around the world.  From your ride through the forest, you can visit the East Loop and West Loop and see distinct outdoor exhibits of Asian, European, and North American Collections.

Tip #1:  Use the App to Help Find the Six Giant Trolls

Without the map, it could be a challenge to find all six trolls, some hidden in the woods after a trail.  Even with the map and signs with arrows, it still feels like a hunt.

Tip #2:  Drive the Troll Hunt

If you don't drive, finding the trolls would take a six to seven mile hike.  From a parking lot, the hike does not feel strenuous.  It takes a two feet to three-quarters of a mile hike from the nearest parking lot.  You'll still get your family moving.  One hike took you up a hill and you could look over both the arboretum and the highway, along with the super tall troll.  Rocky Bardur:  visible from road, easy walk from parking lot #1

Tip #3:  Plan for a Couple Hours

Once we started the hunt, my daughter insisted we find all six sculptures.  Kids enjoy finding the cute trolls and parents admire the details of reclaimed wood with different natural colors, twigs, and pincones combining for character.  Due to the pandemic, trolls are now fenced off.  You can still get great photos of Rocky Bardur, Sneaky Socks Alexa, Joe the Guardian, Furry Ema, Niels Bragger, and Little Arturs.  I've placed Destination Asia Festival my wish list for post-pandemic entertainment in August.  Culture, nature, and art come together at the Morton Arboretum.

Animal Lesson #13: Wolf Park Howl Night in Indiana

Wolves have been featured as the bad character in children's stories, but kids certainly enjoy seeing the ancestors of domestic dogs.  Why not let them howl with the wolves?  You can make it happen by signing up for a Howl Night at Wolf Park in Lafayette, Indiana.  

Wolf Park employee at Howl Night

The program now costs approximately $12 per adult and $10 per child.  We may have paid more because our program also included a hot dog campfire dinner.  Our event occurred pre-COVID, so programs can change.  The 1.5 hour program now includes 30 minutes to walk the grounds and see all the animals in enclosures, followed by a one hour howl program with an educational talk and staff demonstrating how they communicate with wolves.  Everyone has an opportunity to howl from the stands.  All fees and gift shop purchases go to a good cause.  The Wolf Park operates as a non-profit and has a mission, dedicating the organization to behavioral research, education, and conservation.

Photo by Krenda

The park effort began back in the 1970's when Erich Klinghammer, Purdue University Professor, received wolves from the Brookfield Zoo to study communication and behavior.  Brookfield Zoo is another great place we've taken the kids for conservation education.

Wolves were once viewed as dangerous pesky predator and killed by humans.  A National Park Service employee thought he shot the last wolf in Yellowstone in 1926.  Adolph Murie did research on wolves and concluded that they played an important role in the ecosystem.  He note that wolves reduced the moose population and saved vegetation in Mount McKinley National Park.  In 1963, Starker Leopold wrote the Leopold Report recommending that predators and national processes play essential roles.  The government placed wolves under the protection of the Endangered Species Act in 1995.  Yellowstone National Park reintroduced wolves in 1995 and now the park has over 100 wolves.  Gray wolves increased elsewhere too.  The government delisted gray wolves from the list in 2020, but red wolves remain in smaller numbers and listed.

You don't need a full moon to hear wolves howl.  If you want to increase your odds of hearing the howl, visit at dawn or dusk.  That's likely why Wolf Park hosts Howl Night at dusk.  When the air cools, wolves increase their activity.  

Admiring the wolves

North America has two species of wolves - gray wolves with thick fur and found in the north and smaller red wolves with shorter fur found in the southeast.  Wolf Park has many gray wolves - 3 gray males named Mani, Aspen, and Niko, and 3 gray female wolves named Khewa, Sparow, and Timber.  Gray wolves could be gray in color or they could be black or white.  The gray wolf fur looked gorgeous and full when we visited in cool temperature.  These wolves could look different in the summer when wolves shed fur to keep cool.  Considering the multiple wolves at Wolf Park, you might hear a duet howl (two wolves) or chorus howl (three or more wolves).  In any case, you'll likely hear children howl.

Wolves live in packs.  Alpha males can be male or female and act as the leader of the pack.  If you want to see wolves in the wild, wolves also live at Isle Royale National Park (MN), Michigan Upper Peninsula, northern Rocky Mountains, and Wisconsin.  The United States will host the International Wolf Symposium in 2022 (Minneapolis, MN).

More than wolves at Wolf Park

We visited the Wolf Park to see wolves.  In touring the grounds, we delighting to discover other animals too including Jaker and Scarlette the red foxes, Lark and Kestrel the gray foxes, and 13 bison.  If your kids have interest in seeing more bison, search for my Bison article.

Big kids had fun too

Animal Lesson #7: Conservationist Jane Goodall and Chimpanzees

As a child, I read stories and watched movies about Jane Goodall and I admired her for her success in conservation efforts.  As an adult, you can inspire children to take action and help the environment. 

As an adult, I had the pleasure of becoming more connected to Jane Goodall.  I heard her speak at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. Wow! What an inspiration to see her live. Jane presented slides from her chimpanzee research in Tanzania. To hear her tell the stories, to hear the passion in her voice about the next generation. She encouraged the audience to get involved in Roots & Shoots, a global youth organization that gets youth involved in service learning projects that promote care and concern for animals, the environment, and the human community.

After I saw Jane in person, I visited a museum with a special exhibit all about her life. Very nicely done, but nothing beats hearing stories live from a leader.

You can get your child involved in conservation through Jane's Roots & Shoots organization.  Search for an existing group or event or create a new one.  Example events include 1) "Anything with A Plug Recycling Event" Carmel, IN, collected 30 tons to recycle, 2) Run for Wild Bronz Zoo, NY, 3) Animal Shelter drives
http://rootsandshoots.org/

I realized I was also indirectly connected to Jane through working with my past company providing funds to the Angel Fund, a cheetah conservation effort with the help of dogs.  I had the chance to meet Thane Maynard (Cincinnati Zoo Director) who co-authored the book Hope for Animals and Their World with Jane.  After meeting Thane and the Angel Fund initiater Cathryn Hiker, I took my kids to witness the cheetah's run at the zoo.  When I took my kids to see Jack Hanna's live animal show, Jack mentioned his admiration for Jane.  We are all so connected and so are the plants and animals in our world.  How are you connected to conservation leaders and efforts?  How do you pass that passion down to your children?  Please share your ideas.

Animal Lesson #6: Jack Hanna Inspires

I remember watching the Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom on a very small tv set at my grandparents house and imagining all the adventures.  Those shows ran from 1963 to 1988.  Now kids watch Jack Hanna and the Kratt Brothers on PBS public tv for animal adventure and conservation stories (we also saw Kratt Brothers, blog story coming soon). 

"Jungle Jack" began his tv appearances much earlier as a frequent guest on the Late Night Show with host David Letterman.  Now Jack Hanna stars in numerous shows including Into the Wild, Animal Adventures, and Jack Hanna's Wild Countdown.


If your kids have special interest in a celebrity, look up whether they tour.  In this case, Jack Hanna travels around the nation giving a live animal show.  He brings a variety of animals including a cheetah, sloth, koala, and echidna.

We saw the show in Kentucky.  Jack had just arrived back to the United States from Africa and still gave a high energy show.  Jack has a home in Africa and has special interest in conserving gorillas in Africa.  He supports Partners in Conservation (PIC) which benefits mountain gorillas of Rwanda.

If Jack Hanna doesn't travel to your community, consider a trip to a zoo or conservation site to celebrate animal conservation.  In direct connection to Jack, visit the Columbus Zoo where Jack held the Director position.

What:  Columbus Zoo and Aquarium

Where:  Columbus, Ohio
 Cost:  $14.99 child (age 3-9), $19.99 adult, $10 parking
 Check out times for "Animals on Safari Show"

The Wilds conservation park, also located in Ohio and connected to Jack provides kids the opportunity to learn animal conservation.  Jack filmed a show at this location.  We also took the kids to The Wilds, check out my blog story. 
Consider learning about other animal lovers.  Jack connected to Betty White, known for her love for dogs, "In 2014 one of my dreams came true when Betty White graciously joined me for the opening of Heart of Africa..." Jack Hanna, Jack Hanna website.  I've also met Betty White.  Blog story coming soon...

Animal Lesson #5: The Wilds Conservation Park in Ohio

 You don't need to buy an expensive airplane ticket and get a passport to teach your kids about animals and Africa.  Who would think that North America's largest conservation parks with endangered animals is located in Ohio?  It's true.  You can drive to 14000 International Road, Cumberland, OH and take your kids on an educational safari.

The Wilds mission is "advancing conservation through science, education, and personal experience". It's a 9,000 plus acre conservation park that opened to the public in 1994.  You might have heard about it from Jack Hanna because he serves as a board member.

The Wilds takes care of 27 species of rare or endangered animals living in a 14 square mile area of reclaimed mining land.  This family friendly place gives you an opportunity to teach your children about conservation. 

We went with three toddlers and they loved the adventure.  You can choose from the Safari Transport Pass (bus) or Open-Air Safari.  I chose the Open-Air Safari because it got us close to the animals and allowed us to easily photograph the animals.  The tour lasts for over two hours and includes stops at Lake Trail and Carnivore Center.

With toddlers, you might want a simple game to keep their eyes wide open:

Activity Idea #1:  Animal BINGO
Go to The Wilds website, print off the animal photos, cut them out and place them on a BINGO card.  First kid to complete a row or diagonal line wins.

For older kids, you can connect nature and geography:

Activity Idea #2:  Animal World Map
Print the animal photos and have the kids paste them onto the world map, according to the animal origin:
      *Banteng; Southeast Asia & vulnerable
      *Dhole, East and Southern Africa & least concern
      *African painted dog, Sub-Sharan Africa
      *Eld's deer, Southeast Asia & endangered
      *Indochina Sika Deer, East Asia & least concern
      *Grevy's Zebra, Kenya & Ethipia & endgangerd
      *Perisan Onager, Syria/Iran/Pakistan, India, Israel & endangered

Activity Idea #3:  Conservation Index IQ
Discuss the conservation index ranging from Extinct in the Wild (EW) to Least Concern (LC).  On paper draw the range with each category:  EW, CR, EN, VU, NT, LC.  Then place the animals in their current category status:
      *EW:  Pere David's Deer, Extinct in the Wild (formerly China)
      *CR:  Bactrian Camel, Critically Endangered (Central & Southeast Asia)
      *EN:  Przewalski's Wild Horse, Endangered (Central Asia)
      *VU:  Sichuan Takin, Vulnerable (Tibet & China)
      *NT:  Southern White Rhino, Nearly Threatened
      *LC:  Sable Antelope, Least concern, (East Africa & Southern Africa)

Tip:  Bring your hiking shoes!  Even though it's a bus tour, the tour gives you time to walk to ponds or throughout the Carnivore Conservation Center (opened in 2007 with cheetahs and African wild dogs).  You'll see unique animals and wildflowers, so get off the bus.

I hope you can experience it too. Season opens May 2nd.  Camps available June-August.
Learn more at http://www.thewilds.org/.  For a few more photos, go to my personal collection "The Wilds" at http://www.flickr.com/photos/krenda/sets/.  If you have a scout troop, check out their Scout Day Program offering tour, meal, and canoe usage for one packaged price.