Sejak start sangat terasa adrenalin ketika menyusuri sungai Cigunung ini. Durasi perjalanan sekitar 30-45 menit tergantung dari kecepatan arus sungai Cigunung yang bersumber dari air terjun (curug) Sawer.

Diperjalanan, ban yang kita gunakan bisa saja tersangkut diatas batu atau macet karena berhimpitan dengan para peserta lainnya atau bahkan kita sendiri kecemplung jatuh dan terendam di air sungai yang jernih dan dingin ini. Dalam keadaan ini para guide akan dengan segera dan sigap membantu kelancaran pengarungan selanjutnya. Petualangan air ini bertambah asik dengan dihidangkannya bandrek panas, singkong atau pisang rebus pada saat istrahat di tengah perjalanan.

Di akhir perjalanan, rasa lapar dan dan dingin terobati dengan disediakannya minuman hangat dan panganan khas lokal. Seru, asik, full adrenalin…………….

Ada sekitar 50 taman nasional di seluruh Indonesia yang dikelola oleh Kementerian Kehutanan. Sebanyak 12 di antaranya terletak di Pulau Jawa. 11 di Pulau Sumatera. 6 di Bali dan Nusa Tenggara. 8 di Kalimantan. 8 di Sulawesi, dan 5 di Maluku dan Papua. Taman nasional merupakan kawasan yang dibatasi kegiatan eksplorasinya, baik untuk kegiatan ekonomi maupun sosial. Hal Itu dilakukan untuk memelihara dan menjaga ekosistem kawasan Itu. Meskipun kegiatan eksplorasi dibatasi, masyarakat masih dapat melakukan kegiatan dan memanfaatkan kawasan tersebut.

Keberadaan taman nasional dewasa ini menjadi sangat penting, hal ini mengingat semakin lama keberadaan hutan sebagai paru-paru dunia semakin berkurang.  Selain berfungsi sebagai paru-paru yang harus dilindungi, taman nasional juga berfungsi sebagai pendidikan dan wisata.

Berwisata ke taman nasional akan memberikan kesempatan kepada kita untuk melihat keindahan alam serta menikmati berbagai fenomena alam dan kehidupan liar yang ada. Saat ini di Indonesia, paling tidak ada sekitar 50 taman nasional, yang terletak dari ujung timur sampai barat, http://www.dephut.go.id/INFORMASI/TN%20INDO-ENGLISH/tn_index.htm

Kenali dan lestarikanlah alam kita.

Hubungi kami bila anda berniat mengunjungi taman-taman nasional di Indonesia.

Bila bermaksud mengunjungi Tanakita, stasiun pemberhentian terdekat adalah Cisaat. Kemudian perjalanan dapat dilanjutkan dengan angkutan umum atau menggunakan ojek ke Taman Wisata Alam Situ Gunung.

Beginning Romantic Ideas

• Simplicity – Everything you do while camping should reflect this idea. Concentrate on basic needs. Rest, Food and Drink, Exercise and Intimacy. These are your highest priorities. Can you handle this?
• Remove Time – When possible, avoid all time measuring devices. Switch to nature-time. Use the Sun if you need to. Try processing your camping experience without measuring how long things take. Timelessness is Romantic!
• Be Spontaneous – Spontaneous moments are squashed by over-thinking. Avoid the to-do list mentality. Planning has its place. It got you to your campsite! However, once you arrive – Switch Gears. Give your mind a break. You deserve it!
• Do Nothing – Just sit for a spell. Lay on your back and watch the clouds. I recommend you try this. Take time to be still. Decompress. Quietly soak in the sights and sounds of your campsite. Sharing these peaceful moments is priceless.
• Take a Nap – Why not? Snuggle up with your partner and enjoy a siesta. This can be especially enjoyable after a hike. Also, rest and digest after a meal.
• Sleep In Tent – You will see and feel the sunrise. This means you will likely get up earlier than you might think. So, why rush? Make a conscious effort to stay in the bed. Spend this time giving you partner your full attention.

Wajar dan sudah kodratnya manusia pernah kehilangan arah. Tersesat tak tentu arah dalam suatu perjalanan. Jawabannya adalah menggunakan kompas, peta dan GPS atau HP yang sudah terintegrasi dengan GPS. Tapi tidak semua orang setiap hari membawa barang itu atau malah tidak punya. Solusi lain adalah tentu saja tanya – tanya ke orang setempat.

Yang jadi masalah saat tidak ada orang yang bisa ditanyai ( atau kita malu bertanya). Gampangannya kita berpatokan pada Masjid/Surau atau posisi gawang lapangan sepakbola. Itu kalau kita menemukan salah satunya. Tapi apa yang terjadi kalau kita di hutan atau daerah yang jauh dari pemukiman? Biasanya kita main feeling saja. Sayang, feeling kadang salah saat kita menghadapi ujian kehidupan.

Secara “tanpa sadar”,saat kita tidak tahu arah dimana tidak ada petunjuk apapun atau alat bantu (kompas, GPS dll ) arah, tidak jarang kita akan menengadah, minimal liat ke atas. Suatu reflek manusia mengingat pada Yang Di Atas dalam kepasrahan. Karena apa ? Di atas ada sebuah petunjuk, bintang.

Posisi konstelasi bintang bisa dijadikan petunjuk arah mata angin sebagaimana telah digunakan manusia sejak dulu sebelum kompas ditemukan. Ini dia rasi – rasi bintang itu :

a. Rasi Bintang Orion ( Bintang Waluku/Bajak/Belantik) untuk arah Barat
Ini adalah kontelasi paling mudah dikenali .Ciri khasnya adalah tiga buah bintang yang terang, saling berdekatan dan dalam satu garis lurus. Tiga bintang itu disebut sabuk orion. Satu garis yang menghubungkan tiga bintang itu bisa dijadikan petunjuk arah kiblat. Tampak paling jelas pada pukul 21.00 selama bulan Januari

b. Rasi Bintang Crux ( Pari, Layang – laying, Gubung Penceng ) untuk arah selatan
Konstelasi terkecil ini tampak paling jelas pada pukul 21.00 selama bulan Mei.

c. Rasi Bintang Ursa Minor ( Biduk, bintang tujuh ) untuk arah utara
Di dunia maritim, terutama para nelayan, rasi ini dijadikan petunjuk untuk memperkirakan titik utara langit, dengan menarik garis lurus dari dua bintang (alfa dan beta) ke arah horison. Tampak paling jelas pada pukul 21.00 selama bulan Juni.

http://engineear.net/

The amount of consumer interest both from the local community or communities outside the region, making the cake moci as a profitable area of business potential. No wonder if the current round-shaped cake – complete with small round covered in flour can be found in every corner of the town of Sukabumi, and often used as one by the – by the typical Sukabumi.

Originally known cake moci has only two flavors of cake moci moci without content and content of bean cake. But now moci cakes are available in dozens of variants of taste, there is a sense of mocha, ginger, cheese, sesame, vanilla, pandan, to taste the fruit – fruits like durian, jackfruit, melons, strawberries, bananas, and various other flavor.

In addition to having dozens of different flavors, cake packaging moci also has a fairly unique and interesting. By using the packing boxes are usually made of bamboo, each box containing a cake moci 5 to 15 pieces per box. And appreciated starting from Rp. 5,000.to 25.000. being adjusted for the contents and taste variant (usually sesame flavor and taste of cheese sold more expensive).

Give each participant a piece of bubble gum to chew, a toothpick and an index card. Allow them 10 minutes to chew the gum, place gum on index card and then design something on index card using only the toothpick as a tool (No Hands). The person with the best and most creative design is the winner. If you have quite a few players you can have several categories of winners, like “most ingenious”, “most creative” and of course the “What is that?” Award.

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The Best Actor/Actress

Set this up like its an award ceremony and the entire group is in attendance. Each camper will get a chance to win the Best Actor Award (this can be just about anything you can get your hands on…the more outrageous the better…like a toilet brush). When it is their turn, they get up in front of the group and give an acceptance speech thanking all of the people who helped them achieve such a prestigious award. They should also remember to mention the name of the movie they won the award for.

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Scavenger Hunt

Make a list of things that can be found around a campsite or on a hiking trail, and see who can find the items fastest. If you’re in an area where nature shouldn’t be disturbed, kids can identify things by sight.

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Flashlight Walks

Taking a walk in the dark is a bit daring, even eerie, and full of unusual sights and sounds. While it’s still daylight, have one parent scout out a short, safe trail near your site. Then, after dark, give each child a flashlight, and slowly walk along the trail. Focus on such details as a pair of glowing eyes staring back from a tree branch, or a glistening spiderweb. Ask your kids to describe what they see. When you’ve covered a few dozen yards, turn off the flashlights, have everyone be quiet, and listen to the provocative sounds of night. If a child gets scared, quickly turn the flashlights back on.

Give each person 7 clothes pins. On ‘go’ each person must get rid of their clothes pins by pinning them on someone else. Only one pin per person The game continues for about 5 mins, or more depending on how much fun you’re having.

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Pigs Fly

The children should stand in a group facing the leader. Each child should have enough room to make full flapping movements with their arms. The leader calls out Ducks Fly , Owls Fly , Pigs Fly …and so on. If the animal that is called out really does fly, the children should continue flapping their wings . If the anilmal is the type that does not fly, then the children should stop flapping.

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Silly Symphony

The purpose of this game is to discover the beautiful sounds that can be created by the natural objects in our environment.

Each player is given 10- 15 minutes to find objects in nature that make a noise when banged together, or blown on, or rubbed together. Players bring back their ‘instruments’ and a conductor is chosen, who organizes the group into a semi -circular orchestra.

Each musician is allowed to ‘tune’ his instrument, so the rest of the group can hear the different sounds. If a player can play more than one instrument at the same time, he is welcome to do so. The conductor can then choose a familiar tune with an easy rhythm, and lead his orchestra in song. Let the players make requests for songs they would like to play;
give musicians the opportunity to work on ’solos’ that they can perform for everyone.

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Balloon Baseball

Players are divided into two teams. Each team designates a pitcher who pitches to his own team. Each batter gets two pitches to hit a balloon with his fist. If the ball is hit, the fielding team tries to blow the balloon to the ground before the batter runs around the bases. If they do not, a run is scored. Play continues until everyone on the batting team has been up to bat . Then, the inning is over and teams switch places. The game continues for a specified number of innings.

One child pretends to sleep in a sleeping bag at the front of the circle. She puts out three camping items (binoculars, water bottle, flashlight, etc.) While sleeping the bear (another child) sneaks and steals an object. The class yells Wake up and the sleeping child guesses which item was taken and three chances to guess who the bear was. The bear then gets a turn to sleep and the game continues.

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Go on a scavenger hunt for nature items. First have each child decorate a paper bag and write name on it. Then as a group go for a walk outside and collect different items. I made a list and then drew the picture next to the word. I also read the items aloud as we walked to remind them what they are looking for. (yellow leaf, rock, bug, stick, etc.) We had a lot of fun

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Have all the kids sit in the tent with the lights out. I stand outside with die cuts and a flash light and hold up a die cut. The kids inside the tent guess what the object is. I use a leaf, sailboat, sun, etc.

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Ah Soh Koh

Everyone sits in a circle, and learns the 3 commands and their movements.
1) Ah – the person says “Ah” loudly, and takes their left or right arm across their chest, pointing at the person next to them

2) Soh – the person says “Soh” loudly, and takes their left or right arm above their head, pointing at the person next to them

3) Koh – the person puts both arms together in front of them and point to someone else, anywhere in the circle.

The phrases must always go in that order, and each phrase needs its correct hand motion. You go when you are pointed at by someone next to you using “ah” or “soh,” or by someone across from you using “koh.” When you are “koh”ed at by someone you can either start again with “Ah” or put your hands up and say “nooooooo.” If you say “noooooooo” then the person who said “koh” has to start again with “Ah.” If you mess up, you step out of the circle and walk around the outside trying to confuse people by shouting random words.

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Button, Button

One person sits in the middle of a circle of children. A button is passed around behind the backs of the children. The child in the center closes her eyes while the passing continues. When everyone says, Button, Button, who has the button? She opens her eyes. She then has three chances to guess who has the button.

Through my travels, I encounter many nature-themed camps. They have names such as “Young Explorers,” “Nature Nuts,” and “Outdoor Adventurers.” Sadly, I discover that nine times out of ten, these camps have no naturalist or professional outdoor educator on staff. No camp director would theme a camp around sailing without a trained sailing instructor, so why should nature camps be any different?

As a former program director myself, I realize what program directors face every day. It can seem like a hundred urgent matters occur each day, often at the same time. If you do not spend your week putting out one small brush fire after another, please give me a call; I want to know your secret. Unfortunately, environmental education at camp is often something that is easy to put on the back burner on your “things to do list” that you create each morning. Environmental education never seems to get the attention it deserves when you are dealing with a plumbing problem, preparing for the staff meeting, and trying to balance the budget.

You can give your environmental education program a face-lift. The first thing to do is to make a commitment to creating a properly staffed program by hiring a camp naturalist or outdoor educator. Develop a written job description, and advertise the position using “camp naturalist” or “outdoor educator” as the job title. If you advertise for a horseback riding instructor, you do not get lifeguards applying; the same rule applies here. Why should a naturalist apply to a camp that is only looking for camp counselors?

Finding Your Naturalist

Let’s start with what not to look for in a camp naturalist or interpreter.

1. You are not necessarily looking for an ornithologist. Just because he or she knows the mating call of the chestnut-sided warbler by heart does not mean he or she understands camp and campers. You need someone who can be part entertainer, part educator, and part famous TV naturalist Marty Stauffer, all in one.

2. You are not looking for someone to run a nature center. It takes too much time and money to bring a nature center to life–leave that job to the pros at local parks and nonprofit groups like the National Audubon Society. You need someone who can make your camp property his or her living classroom.

3. You are not looking for Freeman Tilden (aka: The Father of Interpretation). With the salary you are able to offer, you will not attract the world’s elite naturalists. However, do not be afraid to emphasize the positives of your position: time off, free meals, free lodging, and a great chance to save money.

The Interview Process

Many camp directors would not know a fish hawk from an eagle but certainly want a naturalist who does. One easy, nonintimidating way to discover what a candidate knows is to give a short quiz. Visit www.enature.com, use downloaded photos of local trees and animals to create your own quiz, and then see how prospective camp naturalists score.

As part of the interview process, consider asking each applicant to come prepared with a ten-minute program to present. This technique is common in the field. Chances are that if you enjoy their teaching style, so will your campers. A warning concerning this practice: it can make phone interviews very difficult, but the good naturalists will still shine through.

Empowering Your Staff Member

Your outdoor education program is one that needs your support not only fiscally but also emotionally–and with your own sweat equity. Traditionally, naturalist positions attract individuals with personalities that thrive on daily feedback, and they are committed to their work so that they can share their love of the outdoors, not just receive a paycheck. Failing to set aside time to regularly attend programs or check in on a daily basis, will certainly alienate a camp naturalist much quicker than most other staff members. Traditionally, camp managers stay “out of the hair” of staff members who are doing a good job and watch from a distance. This is not a good management approach when working with an educator.

What Focus Will Your Environmental Education Program Take?

Try not to dictate to your camp naturalist specifically what subject matters he or she should teach–the educator needs some latitude for creativity. In addition, if your naturalist comes with a specialty in Herps (Reptiles and Amphibians), the last thing you want to do is force them to conduct lessons about marine biology all summer.

Ask for a written lesson plan in advance and provide input and ideas to help enrich the programs. Having a written lesson plan one week in advance allows the naturalist time to be creative but keeps him/her from procrastinating and using the “fly by the seat of my pants” planning method.

Retention of Good Staff

Turnover in the interpretive field is much higher than in traditional camp positions. Great camp directors will find a way to do the little things that make it easy for good staff to return. Here are a few ideas:

* If a good staff member returns for a second season, offer to pay their way to an advanced training opportunity or conference. Leave No Trace Master Trainer workshops, Audubon workshops, or National Association of Interpretation workshops or conferences are all good choices. You might never see a dime of return on this investment, but it is certainly a risk worth taking. You could call it inducement, but most definitely, you could call it a good investment.