Hello one and all, welcome back to the best nature program of all! Pack an extra pair of socks, grab your favorite water shoes and join us for a day in the life of your Knee High Naturalist.
The warm sunny autumn morning welcomed us to class, making the fallen leaves smell oh so sweet! We crunched through red, yellow and orange as we begin to dig, tunnel and rake for critters of all shapes and sizes. We explored our Talking Tub and saw different types of animal tracks, a big, pokey pine cone and a very big snapping turtle skull! Some of us found earwigs and roly-polys zooming out under logs, enjoying the warm day, too. We flipped a few rocks, watching wood roaches and ants skitter below, heading for the cool, damp pine needles. We decided to start class early today, excited to head to the creek for water play!
We sang our Good Morning Song behind one of our favorite climbing rocks before washing our hands and digging into our delicious snacks. We took a quick break to check on a huge wolf spider (body the size of a baby carrot). While our teachers saw him crawling around this morning, he fell into another spider’s trap! We watched as a much smaller spider (the size of a pea) spun silk around him and began to eat his snack, too. As we munched and crunched, we chatted about our favorite colors, favorite foods and noticed that almost everyone had apples today! Some of us began to color while others honed their motor skills with rock climbing. We are teaching each other how to climb the smooth rocks that are harder to get foot holds in—we are so lucky to be surrounded by such wonderful, supportive friends! Today, everyone was able to conquer a tricky rock; we felt so proud and so strong!
While we were getting water shoes on and using the bathrooms, we found a very friendly katydid (bush crickets). We gently coaxed it onto our hands and arms, laughing as it tickled our hands and jumped onto our shoulders and legs! After everyone got a turn meeting the katydid, we put him near the native garden and hit the trail. So excited to play in the water, we made record time getting to the creek! We took a few brief stops to admire the purple asters, feel the soft mullein and watch the river ripping by.
Once we got to the creek, we set boundaries together and learned creek safety rules. We found the best spots where we could explore, harvest mud and find cool rocks while not going into the water above our ankles! Our friends who wore boots began to splash around, unaware of the very chilly water temperature. Our friends who wore crocks, water shoes or sandals found out very quickly that the water was cold, but worth the fun! We learned how to make leaf boats by folding a leaf like a taco and poking a small stick through it to hold it’s shape. Once we got the hang of, we were producing boats from aspen, beech and maple leaves, watching them shoot the rapids, race over the waterfall and around the bend! Some of us made mud pies or sculptures, some of hunted for special rocks. We tested sinking and floats with sticks, leaves, rocks and any other natural materials we could find, delighted with every result of our tests.
Finally, it was time for us to head back and meet our families! Before we left, we had to take off and drain some of our boots and shoes that squished and squeaked with every step. Our wet pants and wet feet helped keep us cool as we hiked through the sun, still having lots of fun! We were able to change into dry shoes and take off some layers before meeting our families and share our adventures.
We want to thank you all for an amazing autumn day in the lives of your Knee High Naturalists! We had so much fun savoring the warm sun and beautiful fall day at the creek. We look forward to seeing you again next week when we learn about Terrific Trees!
