I think we’ve found a new Christmas holiday tradition: a family hike to take in some of nature’s wondrous gifts.
We joined The Children’s Nature Institute yesterday for a post-Christmas stroll through Franklin Canyon Park in Beverly Hills. The theme of the walk was “Celebrating Nature’s Gifts.”
Our walk leader, Kelly, let the kids choose their own paint chips for a color walk. She also encouraged the kids to search for tiny treasures from nature (those on the ground, of course). We would add them to an empty egg carton, then return each of our treasures back to nature at walks’ end.
One of the big perks of Franklin Canyon Park is that the trails are perfect for lazy meandering, searching and exploring. And that’s just what we did.
We started off along the Blinderman Trail, where we looked for tracks in the mud, smelled scented plants and talked about the treasured oak trees.
Kids gathered acorns, leaves, tiny pinecones and more. There were gorgeous leaves of reds and oranges to observe, spider webs to sprinkle with water, nests to discover and more.
We eventually made our way around the Franklin Canyon Lake in a loop back to the parking area. Before finishing, we returned the gifts from nature we’d collected to the earth. Kelly did a fantastic job of letting the kids tell each other why each of the things we saw on our walk was a gift from nature just for us.
I think this excerpt from the big explorer’s journal sums our walk up perfectly:
“I learned a lot of nature information. It was fun. It was a little muddy, but it was still a good hike. We had a (egg) carton and we put special nature things in it. After we were finished, we gave them back.”
Tips for Visiting With Kids
- Visit the nature center. This hands-on, kid-friendly spot is a great place to start your adventure.
- Enjoy a snack and a story. While the kids snacked, Kelly read a great story about oak trees in Los Angeles. Then we went and explored some.
- Focus on the journey, not the destination. Franklin Canyon Park is perfect for slow strolls around the lake, visits with the ducks at Heavenly Pond and acorn gathering.
Planning Essentials
- Franklin Canyon Park rests on 600+ acres of land featuring chapparal, grasslands & oak woodlands
- The park consists of an Upper and Lower section, each with multiple tyke-friendly hiking trails, picnic areas, parking areas & restrooms
- Upper Franklin Canyon Park features a 3-acre lake, two ponds, the Sooky Goldman Nature Center – even an outdoor classroom
- Ample free parking available
- Some trails require walking on roads shared with vehicles, so extra caution should be taken with little ones
- The Children’s Nature Institute regularly hosts walks at Franklin Canyon; you can see their schedule here
