FIELD NOTES BLOG

Severson Dells Adventure Packs

Liz Wiener
February 22, 2024

Do you want to turn “I’m boreeeeed…what do you mean go explore outside, there isn’t anything to DO outside” into “Can we turn this tablet off and go explore at Severson Dells with an Adventure Backpack?” in one simple step*?

*Number of steps to amazement and wonder not guaranteed

With the new Adventure Backpacks by Severson Dells, your outdoor wanderings can turn to outdoor amazement!

Take your day from this… To this!

These Adventure Backpacks were graciously sponsored by the Alpine Kiwanis Club and expertly curated by the Severson Dells Nature Center education team! Designed for the modern explorer, these backpacks are your ticket to experiencing the great outdoors like never before.

Each backpack is stocked with a variety of tools to help enhance your experience while out on the trail. We’ve also included a handy dandy guide of activities, scavenger hunts, and tips and tricks in each pack!

Let’s dive into each pack to learn more about what is inside them!

Beaks and Binoculars

Do you have a budding birder on your hands? The Beaks and Binoculars backpack is designed for avian enthusiasts, complete with binoculars, bird ID guides, bird song books and even a monocular with a cell phone adapter! We’ve included an “Adventure Log” so you can write down all of the feathered friends you encounter on your journey. 

Bug Watch

For those that love the “creepy-crawlies”, be sure to check out the Bug Watch Backpack. This pack comes with a bug net, magnifying bug viewers, ID guides, hand lenses, and story books to enhance your outdoor time. “Good Trick Walking Stick” is a staff favorite! 



Nature’s Palette

Move over, Monet! With Nature’s Palette, your aspiring artist can draw, paint, sketch, and color everything that inspires them. This pack includes watercolor postcards, a sketchbook, paints, crayons, colored pencils and more! When you have finished your creation, you get to keep the postcards and sketchbook! 



Rock On!

This pack rocks…literally! Explore the 458 million year old Dells and surrounding area with this pack, and really get in touch with a piece of history! Included in this pack are hand lenses, a bag of fossils to inspect, a geological calendar, and a “Mohs Scale” for testing the hardness of different rocks and minerals. 



Plant Pursuers

Let your imagination bloom with this pack! You can use this pack to identify trees, flowers, grasses, and more! Use the Super Secret Smellum Potion™ to unlock secret smells of the prairie (we recommend smelling the bergamot!). Take home a rubbing of your favorite leaf or bark, and be sure to check this pack out every season to see what’s growing! 

These packs are designed to inspire curiosity and foster a deeper connection with the natural world, and are packed with resources and tools to ignite a passion for exploration and discovery. 

The best part about these packs (besides all the amazing hands-on learning contained inside them)? They are completely FREE to check out! You can use a pack from 8am-4:30pm any day the Nature Center is open (Monday-Saturday). If you are a Severson Dells member, you can reserve a pack by calling 815-335-2915 or emailing admin@seversondells.org . All packs must be returned on the day they are checked out. 

So, what do you think? Are you ready to get out on the trails and explore with a Severson Dells Adventure Backpack? Come on in and then get out! We can’t wait to hear what you discover! 

Adventure Packs are 100% recommended by severson campers, photo by sdnc staff

RECENT ARTICLES

By Linda Sandquist October 9, 2025
October – a month that starts with changing colors, apple orchards, and pumpkin spice and ends with candy and costumes on Halloween. In between we have the opportunity to observe National Estate Planning Awareness Week. Created in 2008 by an act of Congress and observed every year during the third week of October, the week is a reminder that we all need to prepare for the inevitable. If you’re like two-thirds of Americans, you lack a will or estate plan and the protective measures needed to safeguard your assets, future healthcare decisions or management of your finances. While it’s no fun to think about preparing for what might happen, the peace of mind you’ll experience when you are prepared is well worth the effort. Take time during the week of October 21 – 27 to start making your plans. Consider these things: Who do you want to receive your assets? Who do you want to act as your executor? Who should receive your sentimental items? Who will look after your children or pets? Who is going to make your healthcare and financial decisions if you can’t? Next reach out to a trusted professional. Planning doesn’t have to be expensive and there are many on-line resources that can help you. We at Severson Dells Nature Center encourage you to think about how you want to leave a legacy. Are there causes you care about today that will still need your financial assistance tomorrow? Whether you support nature education at Severson Dells or another cause close to your heart, use your will or estate plan to help them when you’re no longer here. If you love what Severson Dells Nature Center does, consider joining our Heritage Society . This group is made up of folks who have included the nature center in their long-term financial plans. By connecting with them now, we make sure their wishes will be fulfilled and honored when the time comes. And the generosity of Heritage Society members serves as an inspiration to others who care about our mission of connecting people to nature and growing the future stewards of our environment. Contact me with questions about supporting Severson Dells today, tomorrow and far into the future. And Happy National Estate Planning Awareness Week!
September 3, 2025
As the summer camp season comes to a close, creek shoes are dried, crayons are put away, and our staff reflect on their summer of directing and supporting Severson Dells camp. This summer, they led and assisted with 9 weeks of summer camp programs that reached 211 campers! Out of the many adventures this season, here are some of their highlights and what they learned along the way.
By Emma Zimmerman August 26, 2025
When I started at Severson Dells nearly two years ago, I never would have believed I’d still be here today. What was supposed to be a short detour turned into one of the meaningful positions I have served. These years have flown by, and as I sit down to write this farewell, I keep circling back to my early days here. It feels important to revisit that beginning, because in so many ways, it shaped everything that followed.