SPANISH FORT, Ala. — Imagine tearing through your kitchen in search of the piece of silverware that when rattled makes the perfect, muffled clanking sound of a prison door closing underwater.

Now, imagine slogging through the mud of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta on a wildlife photography assignment only minutes after writing a fictional tale of something threatening to take over the world.

For Brennan and M’Adelaide Fitzgerald of Spanish Fort, the above tasks are just a normal Saturday in the lives of the seven-member ambassador program with Fresh Air Family’s South Alabama chapter.

“Fresh Air Family is an outdoor education program with the goal of getting people outside for a little exercise and to learn something,” said Verna Gates, founder of the Birmingham-based nonprofit. “People have forgotten how fun — and how healthy — it is to go outside and play, and we’re bringing it back.”

While Fresh Air Family has been in existence for almost four years garnering roughly 10,000 members statewide, its programs have taken root in Baldwin County only recently, fueled primarily by interest from local homeschooling groups eager to connect with hands-on field trip opportunities and nontraditional learning experiences.

Gates said the South Alabama chapter currently boasts about 1,000 members.

“It’s so much more exciting to be out doing things and not just sitting in a classroom hearing about doing things,” said M’Adelaide, 12, who has always loved photography and writing but really wants to use the ambassador program to help hone her public speaking skills.

Meanwhile, 13-year-old Brennan said the delta provides the perfect venue for hiking, canoeing and kayaking and a recent excursion to the Weeks Bay community in nearby Fairhope proved more educational than she imagined.

“The dolphins came out to swim with the boat, so that was really neat, but then we learned that that is the last neighborhood in the country to receive its mail by boat,” Brennan said.

The homeschooled sisters, who joined the ambassador program after tagging along on a few field trips, have to date written a television script, an old-fashioned radio show, snapped their share of photos and represented the nonprofit at the 2009 National Shrimp Festival in Gulf Shores. And Tuesday night, the duo and their colleagues transformed a corner of the Barnes & Noble at the Eastern Shore Centre into command central for reporting the results of Birmingham’s mayoral race to Reuters international wire service.

“I’m a fan of doing things that are practical,” Gates said, noting the program is designed to not only engage youth and their families in more active lifestyle choices but also to create young leaders — with impressive resumes — in the process.

Addressing the former, Fresh Air Family has been enlisted to serve as the activity arm of the annual Scale Back Alabama program, sponsored by the Alabama Department of Public Health and designed to help participants statewide lose 10 pounds in 10 weeks while promoting healthy lifestyle changes.

Gates said Fresh Air Family is working closely with Capt. Mike Dorie, chief financial officer of Wild Native Inc., which operates both Hov Pod Hovercraft and Five Rivers Delta Safaris. While the program’s activities won’t officially start until the first weekend in February, Dorie’s January calendar is already packed with an array of Scale Back Alabama fare, including kayaking and a tour of the Bottle Creek Indian Mounds.

Brennan said she is excited to be part of the Scale Back Alabama program because it helped some 45,000 Alabamians lose weight in 2009. The program runs Feb. 6 through April 10.

Of course, affordability has a lot to do with Fresh Air Family’s success to date, and it’s an attribute she hopes will continue piquing the interest of families statewide.

 “In this economy it’s tough to find things to do together as a family that don’t cost anything, so we do what we can to provide affordable, accessible field trips and programming for the people who want it,” Gates said. “There’s nothing more free than nature, and it’s certainly available to all of us.”

Scale Back Alabama activities

Capt. Mike Dorie, with Wild Native Inc., has designed the following itinerary for Alabamians interested in incorporating the following Mobile-Tensaw Delta activities into their Scale Back Alabama program.

<10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Kayak Paddle and BBQ at Buzbee Landing.

Enjoy a leisurely day in the delta. Explore calm, backwater sloughs while enjoying the natural beauty and wildlife of the area. Meet at Five Rivers Delta Resource Center by 9:30 a.m. BBQ to follow paddle. Event is free with your own equipment, but rentals are available. Reservations required.

— $3 boat-launch fee payable to Buzbee Landing.

Spend time with instructors and get some pointers in hauling, launching, packing, paddling and exploring by way of kayak. Price is $20 per person.

<9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 31, Bottle Creek Indian Mound Tour at Five Rivers and Mound Island

Event begins with a slideshow presentation by Five Rivers staff historian on the culture and 1,100-year-old history behind the mounds. Then travel by boat to Mound Island where you will hike to the mounds and explore them firsthand. Trip includes all transportation, guide services and lunch. Cost is $60 per person and seating is limited.

<10 a.m. to noon Feb. 6, Guided Nature Hike at Five Rivers

Price is $5 per person

Enjoy a narrated pontoon boat eco-tour specifically focused on the migratory and local birds of the delta. Price is $22 per person.

<10 a.m. to noon, Feb. 7, Wildlife Photography Hike at Five Rivers

Experienced outdoor photographer will guide you around the Five Rivers grounds as you explore the riverfront, the wooded nature trails, the docks, and plenty of local wildlife. At the conclusion of the event each participant will submit one photo to be voted on online. Winners will receive prizes. Price is $10 per person.

<10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 14, Kayaking 101 Class at Meaher State Park

Spend time with instructors and get some pointers in hauling, launching, packing, paddling and exploring by way of kayak. Price is $20 per person.

Enjoy a narrated pontoon boat eco-tour specifically focused on the migratory and local birds of the delta. Price is $22 per person.

<11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 20, Kayak Paddle at Dead Lake Marina

Enjoy a leisurely day in the delta. Explore calm, back water sloughs while enjoying the natural beauty and wildlife of the area. Event is free with your own equipment, but rentals are available. Reservations required.

<9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 21, Bottle Creek Indian Mound Tour at Five Rivers and Mound Island

Event begins with a slideshow presentation by Five Rivers staff historian on the culture and 1,100-year-old history behind the mounds. Then travel by boat to Mound Island, where you will hike to the mounds and explore them firsthand. Trip includes all transportation, guide services and lunch. Cost is $60 per person and seating is limited.

<10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 27, City Safari at the Mobile Convention Center

Urban safaris put teams head-to-head as they compete against each other using problem solving skills and moderate amounts of physical agility. Teams spend an afternoon following clues and completing activities as they make their way around downtown discovering some of Mobile’s most intimate secrets and hidden treasures. Standard event consist of 2 person teams.

However, larger teams and customized safaris are available. Price is $35 per person.

<11 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 6, Canoe/Kayak Paddle and BBQ at Hubbard Landing to Upper Bryant

This trip contains both creek and main river channel paddling through open river and forested wetland habitats composed of Cypress/Gum forests. Event is free with your own equipment, but rentals are available. Reservations required.

<10 a.m. to noon March 7, Wildlife Photography Hike at Five Rivers

Experienced outdoor photographer will guide you around the Five Rivers grounds as you explore the riverfront, the wooded nature trails, the docks, and plenty of local wildlife. At the conclusion of the event each participant will submit one photo to be voted on online. Winners will receive a prize. Price is $10 per person.

Enjoy a narrated pontoon boat eco-tour specifically focused on the migratory and local birds of the delta. Price is $22 per person.

<10 a.m. to noon March 13, Guided nature hike

$5 per person

Enjoy a narrated pontoon boat eco-tour specifically focused on the migratory and local birds of the delta. Price is $22 per person.

<10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 14, Kayaking 101 at Buzbee Landing

Spend time with instructors and get some pointers in hauling, launching, packing, paddling, and exploring by way of kayak. Price is $20 per person.

<10 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 27, City Safari at the Mobile Convention Center

<9 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 28, Bottle Creek Indian Mound Tour at Five Rivers and Mound Island

Event begins with a slideshow presentation by Five Rivers staff historian on the culture and 1,100-year-old history behind the mounds. Then travel by boat to Mound Island where you will hike to the mounds and explore them firsthand.

Trip includes all transportation, guide services and lunch. Cost is $60 per person and seating is limited.