Families will have a great opportunity to sample a wide range of outdoor activities at no cost in celebration of National Get Outdoors Day on June 9.

Part of Leave no Child Inside Month, this unique event will be held at Dunes Learning Center from 11:00 am - 4:00 pm and will feature opportunities for children of all ages to experience outdoor activities from kayaking to earth caching.

Dunes Learning Center will again provide Dunes Discovery Camps in 2012; a weeklong, overnight camp at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Three sessions will be offered; June 17 to 22, June 24 to 29, and July 8-13th. Dunes Discovery Camps are affordable and include all meals and overnight accommodations from Sunday afternoon to Friday morning. Overnight Camps are for kids entering 4th through 8th grade. ParKids Day Camps for kids entering 1st through 3rd grade will be July 9-13 and July 23-27.

“Our camps are a combination of fun and learning,” John Hayes, Executive Director of the Dunes Learning Center, said. “Kids have a great time exploring the outdoors, searching for salamanders, playing games, and learning about Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.”

Porter County Parks and Recreation, Grow NWI offer community garden project

Last year, a plot of land was set aside to begin a Community Garden at Sunset Hill Farm County Park. A handful of volunteers worked on it throughout the summer, and made sure it got off to a good start.

This year, Porter County Parks and Recreation and Grow NWI are introducing the garden on May 19, 2012 during Spring Out to Sunset, one of the park’s largest annual festivals. Grow NWI, which facilitates the garden, is a local organization committed to fostering and sustaining community gardens and urban agriculture programs that grow produce in Northwest Indiana.

We celebrate springtime every year with Spring Out to Sunset, a festival that is all about fun, families, and active living. The theme of this year’s event is, “A Community on the Grow,” and the activities that are offered encourage trying new things and enjoying unique experiences – from theater, art and music to fitness, kites and dogs.

Some of the highlights we have planned for this year include a visit from a talented team of frisbee dogs that have wowed crowds during NBA and NFL halftime shows, children’s workshops and performances by Chicago Street Theatre and Front Porch Music, a community mosaic organized by the Lubeznik Center for the Arts, a stunt kite team and a community garden.