Lumber River State Park in Wagram will take part in the international "Take a Child Outside Week" program Saturday by offering a backyard habitat educational program for children. The 11 a.m. event will be held at the Chalk Banks Access Area of the park, located just north of Wagram on Highway 401.

"We have several activities planned for children to enjoy," Park Ranger John Privette said. "We will be making bird feeders out of pine cones and peanut butter, and I will do a presentation of animal mounts to show some of the different species that are in our area. It should be a good hands on experience for both children and their parents."

After the program, the park staff will invite everyone to stay and enjoy the park by hiking, picnicking, or fishing with the children. All state and county fishing regulations will apply, with children allowed to fish under a parent's license.

The program, inspired by the book Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv, was created in 2007 at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh. Director of School Programs Liz Baird is the contact person for the Take a Child Outside Week program.

"I am thrilled that the Lumber River State Park is participating in this international program, along with more than 300 partners who support this endeavor," Baird said from her office in Raleigh. "When the program was launched, we simply asked for a pledge from people to take their kids outside to participate in outdoor activities. The North Carolina National Park system jumped on the idea, and now every park in the state is offering something to do during the week to get kids involved in the natural world."

The program now has partners in all 50 states along with Canada, England, Puerto Rico, and Belize.

"Hopefully a day will come when there is no need for a program of this sort, when children taking part in outdoor activities will be a natural choice," Baird said. "The benefits of outside activity are numerous for children: it results in lower occurrences of obesity, ADHD, and childhood diabetes, and it has proven to be beneficial to a child's sense of health and well-being."

To learn more about Take a Child Outside Week, visit www.takeachildoutside.org.

Lumber River State Park is open Thursday through Sunday from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. Times change monthly. Camping and river access are available at the park.

For information about Saturday's program at the park, contact Ranger John Privette at 910-628-4564.