On Dec. 12 Biscayne National Park kicked off the 10th year of its Family Fun Fest.

As park ranger Gary Bremen said, “In a season of so much hustle and bustle, taking time to slow down and appreciate the beauty of the natural world can be a much-needed break.”

Participants could stop at stations located around the visitor center to discover holiday-themed interactive and hands-on activities. These included making ornaments out of real Christmas tree worms that live off South Florida’s shores, “A Biscayne Carol” (a twist on the Dickens classic) and posting New Year’s eco-resolutions to the Resolution tree.

Kids received a paper passport that was punched at each station that he or she completed and they received prizes for completing all stations. Each family received native poinsettia plants to take home and enjoy throughout the year.

Family Fun Fest takes place on the second Sunday of every month from December through April. The series receives funding from the Captain Bob Lewis Billfish Challenge and the Bobby Duryea Memorial Fund at the South Florida National Parks Trust. Additional support this month comes from Pro Native Consulting, the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserves and a host of dedicated volunteers.

Future Family Fun Fest events in the 2010-2011 season are these:

Jan. 9: Musical Misfits (as Bremen described the event, “What if a guitarfish, a fiddler crab, a trumpetfish and a spotted drum formed a band?”)

Feb. 13: Keeping Up with the Joneses on Feb.13 (celebrating Black History Month with a look back at the Jones Family of Porgy Key)

March 13: Alien Invaders (Biscayne is invaded by aliens)

April 10: BioBlitz Rewind (last April, thousands of people helped identify more than 800 species of plants and animals in just 24 hours as part of the National Geographic BioBlitz)

The Dante Fascell Visitor Center is located at 9700 SW 328 Street, nine miles east of Homestead.