Did you know that there are over 450,000 acres of conservation land in our state? A great incentive to get the family outdoors and enjoying all of this beautiful landscape is the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation's Park Passport Program.
You can download a Mass DCR Park Passport here and once you receive it you can begin collecting stamps from some (or all!) of the 76 passport parks in the state (you can also pick up a printed passport at one of the park offices). Once they have collected stamps from all of the Passport Park in a particular region (the "Western" region would encompass the 413 area) kids under age 16 can request a free commemorative t-shirt. The "Central" area also looks doable without too much driving.
Kids can record their experiences and save the pages in a binder to make a Park Passport Journal. While the park passport itself is free, there may be parking fees at some parks ranging from $2-$10. Many local libraries offer a "park pass" that you can borrow which allows free admission to the Massachusetts state parks. This can reduce the cost even further.
This link here really describes the whole program so well. I'm so excited to have discovered this program. I know what our family nature project will be this summer. Can't wait to get started!
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