April 2011 - ARCHERY & MORE
There are not a lot of adventures that my husband gets excited about when we are heading to the various kid towns and bounce houses, but this next trip offered fun for the entire family.
I have always wanted to do this adventure, but never knew where to go that wouldn’t cost me an arm and a leg. I finally found a place to hone my archery skills. The DuPage Forest Preserve offers quite an amazing array of activities for both adults and children. I was pleasantly surprised that I did not need to live in DuPage County to participate in their very inexpensive activities.
We discovered the sport of Archery this past month and enjoyed learning how to hold a bow and properly shoot an arrow. This particulate program was open to both adults and children that were over seven years old. It cost us $5/person and offered two hours of training and recreational shooting. We quickly discovered that everyone in the room was quite talented at hitting the target after the rangers had led us in an extremely informative training session. The training was brief and to the point and was tailored to keep even the youngest child’s attention.
After shooting a few practice rounds, the rangers made for a fun class as they pinned balloons onto the targets to let our talent really shine. My daughters, my husband and everyone in the classroom hit their balloon. Me, well, even the biggest balloon seemed difficult to hit, but I still enjoyed myself trying! This was a great indoor activity during the cold months of winter, but archery is also offered outdoors as the season changes.
The DuPage Forest Preserve is expansive and is made up of education centers, forest preserves, and co-owned facilities. They offer activities such as fishing, golf, archery, cycling, boating, camping, hiking, horseback riding, model-craft areas, navigation, wayfinding, off leash dog areas, wildlife watching, and so much more.
Check out the Dupage Forest Preserve’s Calendar of Events at www.dupageforest.com for an entire list of ongoing monthly activities. A lot of their events are free and the others charge a minimum fee. You can also call their offices at 630-933-7200 or visit 3S580 Naperville Road in Wheaton. – Kristen Kucharski
