Hello to one and all, welcome back to the best nature program of all! Grab your tiny binies, pack your favorite bird guide and join us for a day in the life of your Knee High Naturalist.
The chilly, colorful fall morning welcomed us to class with smiling faces and plenty of cozy layers! We eagerly joined our friends and made quick work of exploring this week’s Talking Tub artifacts like bird feathers, feet and pictures. We even welcomed a brand new friends with open arms, rakes and magnifying glasses for exploration! The cold night temperatures and rain kept our insect friends further into the ground and under the leaf litter. Knowing we had a big day of birding ahead of us, we raced to pick up our cone boundaries and settled in for a quick rendition of our Good Morning Song. We helped our friend push the wagon to the pavilion where we lined up our backpacks and raced to line up for bathrooms and handwashing—it’s safe to say we’re settling into our routine!
Rather than reading a story today, we spent snack getting to know each other and our new naturalist. We talked about our favorite cookie flavors, our favorite snack items and favorite fall activities. After we finished eating our fresh picked apples, crunchy peppers and delicious cheese, we rolled right into tiny biny construction. Binoculars of all colors and designs soon took to the sky, searching for birds flying low and high! We scrambled over rocks and looked through the bushes, biding our time until it the bird learning began. We eagerly hugged a handsome male Mallard duck and gently pet and explored a Barred owl. We learned about the webbed feet that ducks have to help them swim and the sharp talons owls have to help them catch their food! We did our weather for today, deciding that it was a windy, cold fall day—then we were off and away!
We crunched red, orange and yellow leaves as we made our way to the Ottaway Crossing footbridge. We eagerly flew over the river, soaring as fast as falcons! We hopped and skipped our way down a brand new trail, ocassionally raising our binoculars up to the sky as little birds tweeted on by. At the end of the new trail we found a new education space filled with new rocks to scramble and hop! We laughed and cheered as our friends became bunnies, bouncing and scrambling onto new perches. We listened to the wind in the leaves of the trees and the tall grasses before deciding it was time to keep moving.
We raced back across the bridge, ready for the next leg of our journey. As we hiked, we talked about migration and that a lot of our favorite birds are beginning to head to warmer climates for the winter. When we saw bright berries or interesting seed pods, we talked about leaving these special items for the birds who are getting ready for their big flights and the ones who stay and enjoy a Michigan winter! We had to walk like penguins on the Fox Den boardwalk with slippery fall leaves underfoot. At one point, we discovered that water was beneath our feet and all bent down to investigate further. We saw few birds slipping through the cattails and learned about lichen before turning around to meet our families. Through the forest, across the creek and over the big hill we went, smiling and laughing as we raced along, excited to share our adventures with our families.
Thank you all for another spectacular day in the lives of your Knee High Naturalists! We will miss you next week and looking forward to catching up on Wednesday, October 28th to learn all about bats and nocturnal animals!
