CARDIFF ---- History is coming to life at the first-ever Family Discovery Days this weekend at the San Elijo Lagoon Nature Center.
Visitors will learn how local Indian tribes used the San Elijo Lagoon for food, shelter and other means in the past. The program goes from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.
"This event focuses on the Kumeyaay," said Tara Fuad, San Elijo Lagoon education director, referring to the American Indians who lived near the lagoon for thousands of years until the Spanish arrived in the late 1700s.
"We always try to share with everybody the importance of the lagoon, the history. We want to teach people how others lived off the land. It's important to protect what is remaining," she said.
Fuad said the reserve is unique in that it offers people a way to connect with the past and look to the future. Hands-on activities will give insight to the living habits of the Kumeyaay.
Traditional American Indian storytelling is the highlight of the event and will take place at 2 p.m. Cathleen Wallace, a Luiseno descendant, will share stories she learned from her mother and grandmother. She will also share a bit of the Kumeyaay language.
Visitors will also learn how local plants were used for medicines, foods, tools and other purposes. And children can grind acorns, play Kumeyaay games, make authentic crafts and discover things at a mock archaeological site.
Hands-on stations will be set up along a quarter-mile of trails ---- which are both wheelchair- and stroller-accessible.
Fuad said she hopes the kid-friendly activities quench children's thirst for knowledge and give them a little peek into what life was like hundreds of years ago.
"Kids like to come and try to imagine what it was like back then," she said. "We try to make the connection that things weren't really that different. They lived off the land, they played games, they learned skills. We try to make the connection between the past and the present."
All Fuad wants is for visitors to leave with an appreciation and understanding of the lagoon.
"I hope they walk away thinking, 'Wow, this is an amazing resource we have right in our backyard.' I want them to come back to the lagoon, enjoy it and want to protect it," she said. "The first step is always having a connection."
The San Elijo Lagoon Nature Center is at 2710 Manchester Ave. inEncinitas. Call 760-634-3026 or visit sanelijo.org/family-days .The Fall Family Discovery Days will feature a Halloween theme of"Not-So-Scary Estuary." The event will be from 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 22and 23.