Hello to one and all, welcome back to the best nature program of all! Pack plenty of cozy layers, your favorite hat and join us for a chilly day in the lives of your Knee High Naturalists.
Bundled and ready for rain, we eagerly waddled back to our natural classroom this morning. A small, very cheerful reunion took place to celebrate one of our friends we haven’t seen in a few weeks! We passed her magnifying glasses, rakes and sticks, inviting her to play and explore what’s new. Some of us looked at a book about animal homes and learned about bees, termites and ants! Once we all had arrived, we raced to pick up cones and find our favorite spot on the blanket. Some of our friends asked to review our class rules, so we took a moment to talk about what it looks like to be kind to ourselves, our friends and nature. We practiced turning on our listening ears and looking eyes before jumping into our Good Morning Song. We packed our wagon and headed to the pavilion, wondering what book we would read today.
Full of lots of energy today, we zoomed through handwashing and got out some wiggles until we settled in for snack. We decided it was finally time to put the sides down on the pavilion and turn on the heaters as the cold wind began to blow. As we put down the sides, we found three Compton Tortoiseshell Butterflies, very cold and very slow with the change of weather. We took turns gently holding them and warming them until one spontaneously woke up and flew away! After all of this excitement, we settled in to read Bat Loves the Night by Nicola Davies. We learned all about nocturnal animals like bats, owls, skunks, coyotes and cats. We also learned that bats use echo location, they make high pitched sounds that bounce of bugs, trees, etc. to help them “see” where they’re going and catch their food! We played on the rocks while we waited for everyone to prepare for today’s adventure and helped teach our friends new ways to climb.
When it was finally time, we headed out with baskets in hand and helped Ms. Jenn pick dead flower heads for seeds and crafts. We picked nature’s pompoms (bergamont), smelling them and dispersing their seeds as we gathered them. We harvested dry milkweed pods and went to the overlook before spreading their fine, fluffy seeds into the wind. We watched our seeds float higher and higher, heading down the trail and towards the river! After this, we got our mini pumpkins and hiked through the pine forest, looking for the best place to put them for forest critters like squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits and birds to eat. We’ll continue to check in over the next few weeks to see if anyone’s eating them and if they’ve been moved!
We spent the rest of our time wondering through the forest, finding pine cones of all shapes and sizes. Some were big and flaky, covered in sap that smelled like sweet pine. Some were round and tiny, hiding under pine needles and fall leaves—it was quite the scavenger hunt! As we headed back, friends found cool sticks of all shapes and sizes that they used as brooms or vacuums to clear off the trail as we hiked through. We stopped to learn more about garter snakes and discovered that they eat mice, frogs and bugs! While we wanted to see a snake, we learned that they are likely beginning their brumation—the cold-blooded version of hibernation. Once we got all of gear packed away and ready to leave, we all chose our favorite tiny pumpkins to take home.
Thank you all for a wonderful day in the lives of your Knee High Naturalists! We look forward to seeing you next week when we learn all about Moss, Lichen & Fungi!
