A group of ten or so four- and five-year-olds gathered on a collage of blankets sprawled in a shady spot under a batch of maples in Hawthorn Glen Park. It was the last day of the Little Nature Club, which is a partnership with Milwaukee Recreation and the park. The kids greeted each other with songs, read together, and mimicked the sounds of chickadees—a nest with baby chicks lay a few yards away.
Milwaukee Rec's goal is to get kids out into nature and make it affordable. For this spring session, four classes cost $8.
Peter and Antonia Towns dropped off their 4-year-old son, Juniper, because they say he loves to be outdoors. It gives them an hour to walk around the park and take a breath.
“One of the things keeping us in Milwaukee is the community that it builds by having this available to us,” says Peter Towns. “[To] have it be accessible price wise, not having to drive really far, it's great.”
The couple, originally from Oregon, has been taking advantage of Milwaukee Rec programming for the last 7 or 8 years. They moved to Milwaukee because of a job, but had other options they could've picked to relocate to. They decided on the city because of the diversity and access to green space and water.
“I grew up in a really, really small town and I always dreamed of taking ballet class, and there was nothing like that for me,” says Antonia Towns. “Now as an adult, I can take ballet … I've taken a Hawaiian dance class through the rec, I've taken every single class that I wanted to when I was a child. It's just such a special thing that Milwaukee has that we have access to.”
The Little Nature Club is starting up its summer session soon. And that’s not the only programming for kids coming up.
One of the most popular programs is actually free and doesn’t require a sign-up. The Summer Playground program is available at 19 sites across Milwaukee for youth and offers a lot of enrichment activities.
“It's a place for kids to come in from their own neighborhood and interact with play leaders,” says Erica Wasserman, Milwaukee Rec’s recreation manager. “Some of our spots have wading pools or splash pads so when it gets really hot outside in the summer, we know how Wisconsin can get, we have those options as well.”
Wasserman suggests visiting Milwaukee Rec’s website or picking up the summer guide to see a list of all the sites available this summer.
Claire McHugh, the marketing supervisor for Milwaukee Recreation, says there’s something in this guide for everyone, regardless of age or ability. That includes field trips for people 50 years of age and older.
“They’re going to be going to the Glen, to Oak Ridge Farm, which is out in Dawson, Wisconsin,” says McHugh. “We do operate a working farm that we take students for field trips there, as well as other kind of one-off programming.”
While there are tried and true favorites of Milwaukee Rec faithful, Wasserman and McHugh say they’re always working with their program staff to introduce new offerings. This includes a meditation and sound bath, which was also offered for free, and filled up almost instantly.
They say if you’re trying to sign up for the annual Father-Daughter dance at North Division, have a favorite yoga teacher or want to get into their Korean cooking classes, sign up quick because those fill up fast.
If you want to browse the summer offerings and stay in the know about what programs are coming up, visit milwaukeerecration.net.
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