Summer camp isn’t just for kids.

This week, 15 grandparents and their grandkids came to Severson Dells Nature Center for an outdoor adventure, and the chance to bond in nature. 

Creek sloshes, butterfly catching, pond mucking and scavenger hunts were among the activities that people from age 7 to 70 took part in.

One of our campers was Rockford Register Star Columnist Geri Nikolai, who grew up on a farm but hadn’t dipped her toes in a creek since she was in grade school. She wrote about the camp on the paper’s Website in a story, Camp reveals creepy — and fun — side of nature.

It wasn’t the first time I’d waded through a creek, but it’s been 50 years since the last time. And I would not have been there, except that granddaughter and I were at Severson’s grandparents/grandkids nature camp, and the 9-year-old insisted I go in the creek with her. I’m glad she did.

I had forgotten how cold the water feels in some spots, and warm in others where the sun is hitting it. How fun to maneuver over the rocky bottom and discover what’s living under the rocks. Our group found bugs, jellylike eggs, and two crawfish — one live and one dead.

For Geri and her granddaughter, fun was a byproduct; the camp had a purpose. Her granddaughter was afraid of the woods. See related video: Overcoming Fear of Deer

One reason I signed us up for this camp was my grandchildren’s fear of anything approaching wild. Last summer, when we were searching for 17-year cicadas at another forest preserve, 9-year-old refused to walk down a trail surrounded by woods. Bears, she shrieked.

At Severson, she walked down wooded paths with groups, found no dangerous animals, and let on that it was kind of pretty out there. She freaked when we discovered a snake in a downed tree, but later forgot about that as she entered prairie grass to net a butterfly.

Experience is a great way for kids to overcome fear. And there’s now better way to experience nature than with grandma, grandpa, or both.

Read Geri’s story:  Camp reveals creepy — and fun — side of nature.