Every Tuesday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. there is a hike for kids ages 5 to 12 at the Louise Kreher Forest Ecology Preserve on North College. The hikes are led by Margaret Holler, who is one of the caretakers at the Preserve. They are free of charge and registration, and last about an hour. They provide a way for children to explore nature and the outdoors after they get out of school, rather than resorting to technology and television.


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The Preserve features more than 30 trails, spanning four miles through various habitats. There are lots of areas of interest: reptile, fern and native wildflower viewing areas, butterfly and vegetable gardens, ponds, waterfalls and streams, a turtle habitat and a nature playground. It also has a 100-seat amphitheater, kiosks providing maps, an open pavilion and year-round orienteering courses.

Holler was a former schoolteacher at the Montessori School for 12 years. She explained that she did not want to give up her love for teaching, and she believes that children benefit from exploring nature and learning through discoveries they make on their own. She is an avid wildlife enthusiast along with her husband. She personally describes the butterfly garden as her "baby", because she planted the original garden and checks on it almost daily. She decided to start the "discovery hikes" to share her passion for teaching and love for wildlife, and to provide a fun way of learning for kids.

Holler explained that she knows that kids have been at school all day and the last thing they want to do afterwards is learn more. So she finds fun and creative ways to let the kids explore different trails and areas of interest, and then tells them interesting facts along the way. Holler said that the kids' favorite place is the butterfly garden, mostly because butterflies are one of the few bugs and creatures that all kids aren't afraid of.

Holler described a typical hike with the kids: "We greet the children, and sometimes we have a theme, sometimes we don't, and we take off walking and see what we can find along the trails. There's a pond and waterfall that we usually get to, the kids seem to really like the water feature. We go down different trails each time and you never know what's going to be along the way...Sometimes I bring a book if it pertains to my theme of the day, and read it in a real nice spot where we can rest and stop along the way..."

Holler encourages all kids and families to come check out the discovery hikes program, and see nature in a new, fun and exciting way.