Summer road trip season is right around the corner, and Ohio’s state parks are high on many families’ to-do lists. Now kids can combine literacy and the great outdoors on 10 Storybook Trails across the state.
Since May 7, Ohio First Lady Fran DeWine and Ohio Department of Natural Resources Director Mary Mertz have launched four new storytelling trails at Buckeye State Parks: Great Seal State Park in Chillicothe, Sycamore State Park in Brookville, Findley State Park in Wellington, and Burr Oak State Park in Glouster.
“Ohio’s storybook trails bring families together for lasting memories of fun and active learning in the outdoors,” DeWine said in the announcement. “We’re excited to add more trails to state parks so even more Ohioans can discover the joy of reading.”
The Storybook Trails program was launched in 2019, according to the state. Led by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, in conjunction with the Ohio Governor’s Imagination Library and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, the goal is to highlight the importance of literacy and of healthy living by connecting children to nature through some of their favorite stories. Each Storybook Trail is a half-mile long and includes 15-20 children’s panels with pages from children’s books and an accompanying activity.
Storybook Trails are located in these state parks: Alum Creek, Burr Oak, Dillon, Findley, Great Seal, John Bryan, Mary Jane Thurston, Maumee Bay, Sycamore, and Wingfoot Lake.
For a complete map of ODNR storytelling trails across the state, as well as similar trails in local parks and library districts, go to ohiodnr.gov.
Learn about some of the trails and find other kid-friendly activities at their host parks, in this Columbus Parent story.
A shorter version of this story appears in “Parent Pulse” in the Summer 2021 issue of Columbus Parent.
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