Welcome one and all to the best nature program of all! Take a peek inside the lives of your Knee High Naturalists as we explore the natural world around us.
A beautiful, sunny morning marked the very first class of Knee High Naturalists, could we ask for a better way to start such a big day? Our friends arrived with big smiles and excitement, ready to spend the day outside. A bucket of shovels and rakes welcomed us to our morning meeting spot, inviting us dig, explore and investigate a lot! Friends made quick work of digging into the dirt where ants, millipedes and roly-polys greeted us. Some of us cut up delicious snacks of tomatoes, watermelon and bread while others read about grasshoppers and how they grow. Before long, it was time for our day to officially start! We became wonderful helpers, picking up our cone boundary, tools and toys before our morning meeting began.
We learned a brand new Good Morning song, got familiar with our daily schedule and made our way to our home base, a cozy pavilion! Here, we lined our backpacks up in a row before washing our hands and digging into our snacks that help us grow. After snack, we decorated our own flags to make a class banner, worked on a puzzle and played a fun game called First Impressions. Ms. Aspen showed us pictures of different animals, activities and bugs to learn how we feel about them—it turns out that we all love cute animals and playing in all sorts of puddles!
We cleaned up our classroom and put away our snacks, it was time to hit the trail for a hike into the outback! We learned how to hike safely on the trails and even brushed of our shoes for any potential invasive species. Our first stop was a platform overlooking the Boardman Ottaway River where we engaged all of senses to listen close. We could hear waves and water rushing by, creating a wonderfully wet home for animals like river otters, trout, beavers and ducks! As the sun grew higher, we got warmer and headed to the forest for forts and free play.
Here we worked together to set our boundaries, become Nature Detectives and began construction on the most marvelous fort in all of the forest! We learned about tree climbing safety, how to play with sticks safely and even got a magnifying glass lesson before beginning our new professions. As some friends worked hard on our new class fort, others flipped logs in search of crawly critters. We investigated holes in trees that could be habitats for bugs or animals, began building a natural bench and became experts at using magnifying glasses. Before long, it was time to go, so we all cleaned up and hiked back to go home. We gathered our bags and bucket of shovels, playing happily until we began to see our families.
Thank you all for an incredible first week of Knee High Naturalists, your children were eager, kind, helpful and happy to spend the day investigating nature! We can’t wait to see you next to learn about the fantastic world of fungus.
