Hello one and all, welcome best to the best nature program of all! Unzip your jackets, take off your hats and grab a pair of sunglasses as we take you along for a day in the life of your Knee High Naturalists!
A very sunny and warm morning greeted us, bringing melting snow and Spring in the air. We all arrived with less layers and giant smiles as we were finally together again! Some our friends eagerly greeted one another before diving into snow painting with exuberance. We got to meet one of our new teachers, Ms. Jenn, today and had so much fun building tiny snow-people with her! It wasn’t long before turquoise and pink snow colored our morning meeting spot as the sun appeared and was quickly destroyed to disperse the joyful rays! After shoveling our little area and decorating tiny trees, we cleaned up and talked about our day before a very loud round of our Good Morning song.
As always, we gathered around the wagon to pull it to the pavilion, relieved to discover that it becomes easier to pull as more snow melts. We carefully waddled like penguins over an icy spot and flocked to the sunny tables to eat our snacks. While we ate, we talked about the weather and seasons, discussing signs of Spring. Today, we learned about phenology, how we know Spring is near or the seasons are changing based on signs from nature. We noticed the drip, drop, drop of melting snow on the roof, warm wind and bright, sunny rays as we went about our day. We listened to a book called Winter’s Coming by Jan Thornhill as some of us finished snack and others colored Spring coloring pages.
As always, our snow hill called to us and we flocked to it, creating snow-people of all sizes, laying in the sun and absorbing the beautiful weather. Hats, mittens and jackets littered the pavilion as we played harder, breaking a sweat as we climbed, rolled and painted! We decided to hike along the river today, making our way down very mushy, snowy steps until we reached the trail. This time, we began to “star fish,” laying in the sun, rolling in the snow, enjoying the best of both worlds. We took a mindful moment to feel the sun warm our faces and listen to the river rush by before continuing on our hike.
Warmer temperatures allowed little winged insects to hatch, we all huddled close to observe them as we passed one around on a chunk of snow. Who knew we’d see something so tiny thriving in the deep snow? We climbed the fence for better views, said hi to the river and enjoyed the bounty of sticks being uncovered by melting snow. As we hiked back to the pavilion, we talked about visiting this trail again next week and bringing along cones and our bucket of tools to set up shop and explore more. We had to stop many times on our way back up the big hill, taking breaks to eat clean snow and make hand prints in the very squishy snow. By the time we made it back, we were sweaty and tired, but not quite ready to leave.
We want to thank you all for the best week of Winter 2025 Knee High Naturalists yet! We had so much fun watching your students absorb the sunshine like sponges, loving the warmth and enjoying the refreshing cold of the snow. We look forward to seeing you all next time to learn about migration as some of our favorite friends begin to make their way North.
