Spring arrived this week but you couldn’t tell it from Wednesday’s blizzard. The Golden Belt received up to 3 inches of snow in some areas but the real problem was the wind. Not only did it create poor visibility – and sometimes zero visibility – it also toppled trees and created traffic accidents with gusts of 60 mph.

By Thursday it had all blown over. With children being off all week for Spring Break, families looked for alternative activities.

Children who visited the Kansas Wetlands Education Center at 592 NE K-156, Great Bend, could look for items in a scavenger hunt along a nature trail or come inside to learn more about invertebrates and make a “critter catcher” to take home.

Temporary staff member Jaismon Travelbee explained that invertebrates are animals with no backbone. “Ninety-seven percent of all animals in the world are invertebrates,” she said. Children could view a few examples and hold them if they dared. This included a snail and a millipede. Travelbee said millipedes have between 300 and 400 legs.

The KWEC had daily programs during Spring Break. Although they opened late on Wednesday and the weather kept some people away, they had activities Monday through Friday.