Easter egg hunt teaches survival skills

Peter the rabbit is lost in the woods, arms wrapped around a tree. \nSo adventurous children picked up a map, and searched to see if he is in emergency need. \nThe Bloomington Parks and Recreation's Annual Easter Egg Search and Rescue provided Hoosier children and guests the excitement and athleticism typical of an Easter egg hunt Saturday. The egg hide-and-find also taught children what to do if they become lost in the woods.\n"Now what do we do if we get lost in the woods?" asked Bloomington Parks and Recreation employee Angie Smith in a sing-song voice to the group of anxious youngsters sitting before her on the picnic table. When none of the children answer, she says, "We hug a tree, right?"\n"If it's a girl tree!" replied five-year-old Hunter Valkyrie, perched atop of the table next to the map of Rev. Ernest D. Butler Park.\n"Basically, what we're going to be teaching them is if they get lost, hug a tree," said Smith as she leaned against a beam of one of the park's pavilions in her camouflage pants and army boots, waiting for her students to arrive.\nThe map on the table in front of her was of an aerial image of the park as it was photographed seven years ago, before the tennis courts were removed to make room for a new playground. She showed the kids how to orient the map and described to them how they would go about searching for Peter, a stuffed brown rabbit she hid earlier in the day. \nBloomington Parks and Recreation regularly puts on programming for children and adults of all ages. Programs, dates and sign-up information are featured on the Web site http://bloomington.in.gov/parks. They also hold longer programming, such as Camp KOTA for seven to 12-year-olds that will be held in four sessions from July 25 through Aug. 19.\n"It'll probably stick with them pretty well," said Denise Valkyrie, a parent at the event, on the survival skill material taught to her two children. "I just like these programs because they are things for our family to do together that are local ... and free!"\n-- Contact Assistant Photo Editor Andrew Prinsen at aprinsen@indiana.edu.