Just because students are on winter vacation doesn't mean they're taking a break from learning.

"Lichen is a sign that the air is healthy," said Ben Hyland while holding up green, fuzzy-looking fungus growing on trees. "There are actually two organisms in one here: lichen and algae. The joke is they took a lich-en to each other."

Hyland, a member of AmeriCorps working with both Buzzards Bay Coalition and Wareham Land Trust, led a group of parents and children through Minot Forest on Wednesday. Armed with compasses and maps, the purpose of the experience was "orienteering."

For three days this week, the Buzzards Bay Coalition and the Wareham Land Trust teamed up to offer educational, outdoor experiences for children in areas around town. First, it was creating bird feeders at Lyman Reserve on Monday; then, a compass and map challenge on Tuesday in Minot Forest; and finally, a geocaching treasure hunt at Horseshoe Mill on Wednesday.

Hyland began Wednesdays' adventure into Minot Forest with the basics in the parking lot of school before heading up to the trail: which way is which? Kids had to figure out where north, south, east and west were by using their compasses.

Once they had that down pat, they were ready to hit the trail. As soon as they reached the trail, the first question to figure out was which way to go.

"Do we go 250 degrees or 170 degrees?" asked Hyland.

It was up to the children to steer the group in the right direction with each turn of the trail. Though Hyland and others from the Wareham Land Trust and coalition helped with the first few turns, the kids were eventually challenged on their orienteering skills.

It wasn't all hard work through. For Sam Gray and his grandson Copeland Majer, the experiences of the programs (they also made bird feeders the day before) were quality time. Copeland, who came to Wareham to visit his grandparents, joked around with Hyland about the lichen and even picked up a lichen-covered walking stick along the way.