Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in Saint Louis, MO

Last Friday evening, I stood in the cold and howled with a pack of 76 cub scouts, brownies and parents. We were at the Wild Canid Survival and Research Center in Eureka, Missouri for their campfire program and trying to get the attention of the endangered wolves that live a few hundred feet away.

Many people know the center just as the "Wolf Sanctuary" and for 37 years it has been known for its work with endangered species of wolves and other canids (i.e. members of the dog family). The center teaches, researches and runs captive breeding programs at its 63 acre facility.

The campfire program teaches visitors about the wolves and explains why saving these endangered species is important.  Volunteers explain why predators such as wolves are important to an ecosystem and the benefits the animals bring to our world. One lesson compares the mythical bad guys versus the real animals. They make it fun by telling the "true life stories" of the Big Bad Wolf and the Huffing Puffing Wolf of Three Little Pigs fame.

After campside stories, the group takes a short nightime hike close to where the wolves live in their large enclosures (they do not run free!). There, the group howls in an attempt to get the animals to howl back to claim their territory from our pretend pack of competing wolves. The center says they have a high success rate in getting the wolves to answer but they were mostly quiet for our group. Their lack of howling didn't really matter as we stood together under the stars with our hands cupped around our mouths, howling in the dark before descending into giggles. I don't think we fooled the pack into thinking we were anything other than a group of scouts and their folks but it was fun!

Hot chocolate and cookies waited for us inside the gift shop and classroom after our hike. We learned more about the non-profit agency that runs the center and asked questions about the animals. The kids had a wonderful time and practiced their howling the entire way home.

.The center usually has an annual open house but it was canceled this year so the campfire program is one of the only opportunities for the public to visit at this time. The center is moving when its lease expires and the staff hopes to expand its programs in the future. Until then, the campfire program is a great opportunity to have fun while learning  important lessons about rare animals living in our area.

If you are interested in visiting the Wild Canid Survival and Research Center, call 636-938-5900.