Hello to one and all, welcome back to the best program of all! Pack your rain gear (just in case), grab your shovels, rakes and magnifying glasses to join us for a day in the life of your Knee High Naturalists.
A late Autumn day disguised as Spring welcomed to our fifth week of class together. Every single naturalist arrived with big smiles, warm welcomes and that special energy that comes from a warm November day. We greeted our friends with waves and hugs, excited to start the day and explore the natural world for new found curiosities. We jumped right into our Good Morning Song and noticed that our “repeat after me” lines are becoming louder every week as we learn the lines! Happy for a new friend to take a turn pulling the wagon, we all grabbed on to help push and turn throughout the trail—this was some of the best teamwork we’ve ever had! We lined up our backpacks, got our snacks and patiently waited for our turn to wash our hands, catching up after a week apart.
Many of us offered to help open our friends snackle boxes, tear open tricky wrappers and pick up fallen food so Nippy the Chippy didn’t raid our snack space! We laughed and giggled with mouths full of food as our bellies and hearts began to fill, too. We snuggled in close with heads bent as we listened to the story Hibernation Station by Michelle Meadows. Silly things like snakes and snails adorned in pajamas, grumpy looking bears with conductor hats and little mice drinking out of acorns filled the pages. We learned that hibernation is when certain animals like reptiles, amphibians, bats and woodchucks take shelter enter a special sleep for the cold Winter months. None of thought that sounded like a fun way to spend the beautiful snowy days!
We cleaned up our snacks and cut quick trails to our favorite rocks, helping each other navigate new routes. Missing any friends still wrapping up snack, we’d slide down the smooth surfaces and peek into the pavilion, inviting them to join the fun. Some boulders held two naturalists, some held three! We found a huge, brown Praying Mantis and watched in fascination as it crawled around and moved its big hands up and down. Some of us hesitantly held it while others opened their shirt pocket, offering a cozy spot for it to stay! We put it back safely before doing our weather and gearing up for today’s grand adventure. With a basket full of well loved shovels and rakes and hands tightly clasped around magic magnifying glasses, we set out with our lovely little class.
Today, it appeared, was a terrific day for digging—we never seemed to get more than 30 feet without quickly dropping to the ground and clearing away soil in search of nature’s mysteries! We found tiny pebbles and pancake shaped rocks, round roly polies and tough little flowers blooming along the trail. We stopped to investigate every possible deer bed, testing it for comfort, bounce and sometimes the warmth of a blanket of dried grass! We conquered huge, ancient stumps and found a grass-green Praying Mantis along the trail, too. Enticed by the soft white fuzz floating on the breeze, we gathered naturalist-sized handfuls of Milkweed seeds. On the count of three we raised our hands in the air and let go of the seeds, watching as they lazily floated here and there. We poked our way back, stopping for thorough investigations of tracks, sand and funny little flowers. Racing across the bridge and bounding up the steps, we gathered our gear and waited to see our families and tell them about the magical morning we spent together.
Thank you all for our best week of class yet! Today felt like it came straight from the pages of a fairytale. Throughout the morning we frequently heard your naturalists ask, “Can I give you a hug?” or “Do you want a hug?” as they approached their friends, hearts and souls full. We can’t wait to see you all next week for Wild Weather & Signs of Winter.
