Good morning one and all, welcome back to the best nature program of all! Spring has sprung, buds are on their way to blooming and birds are chirping—pack away your winter clothes and get ready to learn more about the blooming lives of your Knee High Naturalists.
With all of the snow gone and the sun out for the day, three friends arrived and were ready to play. Our trusty tool bucket was ready to roll, we quickly dropped our bags and were ready to go. No log was left unturned in our secret spot, we kept rolling and flipping until a few insects were caught! We discovered little white eggs and counted them all until we found eight. Not long after, a slimy slug was discovered, even a teeny tiny snail was uncovered! We gathered around with excitement in our eyes and quickly began sharing the bugs like a prize. We all took our turns and gave them a pet, showing each other that they don’t pose a threat. We carefully placed them back where they were found, we even covered them in leaf blankets as we put them back on the ground!
We quickly cleaned up and gathered around to sing our Good Morning song, using musical instruments that came from the ground. Some friends made music with mussel shells, some made them with pebbles and horse chestnuts, as well. Liking our new sense of independence, we held onto our magical music makers as we made our way to the pavilion to officially begin our day.
Something was different, it wasn’t hard to see! A sure sign of Spring is the pavilion, with no walls to be seen! Reveling in the warm morning sun, we sat down on the blanket and settled in for some fun. We read a book about weather and learned about different temperatures, we also learned sometimes it better to stay inside than get our clothes and shoes even wetter! After reviewing our daily routine, we got up and washed our hands to make sure they were clean. The sounds of crinkling wrappers filled the air and snacks were opened and quickly disappeared. Too excited to have fun in the sun, we opted out of coloring and moved right into our brand new weather chart! We talked about different types of weather and seasons, we even learned about thermometers and how we read them. Though adults might use numbers and a little red bar, we used colored clothes pins to tell where we are! Every friend got the chance to come on up and choose the weather, season and temperature for the day before jumping into some fun.
Hiking and fort building on our minds, we set off on our hike and made record time. We stopped by the river for a mindful moment and we all got lost in the natural components. We were off again, this time with the Bear Den in mind—don’t worry parents, there are never bears of any kind! We stopped to observe a mini waterfall and wonder out loud who made such a wonderful water feature so small. Maybe it was beavers, who have since moved on since the draining of Sabin pond! We continued on our way, stopping to explore lichen and friendly fir branches that lay in our path. As we hiked on, Rock Beach suddenly came into view and disrupted all of our plans with a beautiful sunny place that seemed so new! We talked about river safety and rules before heading down to the beach with amazing views.
Bear Den no longer our mission, we set up shop and began to partake in all of the river activities except fishing! We gathered rocks to toss into the water, listening for the different sounds as they plunked, plopped and splashed into the Boardman River. A few friends began to color, relaxing by the river and dreaming about summer. Next, we gathered sticks of all sorts to race down the river instead of building forts. In the midst of finding sticks along the river, we became Insect Investigators and discovered aquatic macroinvertebrates—fancy talk for bugs that live in the water! We found a really cool insect called a Caddisfly that makes its own little casing out of natural debris. When he wasn’t feeling so shy, he poked his head and body out and uncovered a huge surprise! Under his dark, natural casing, he has a bright green body that is hidden by his home! While all of this was going on, a volcano was under construction and would soon be ready to erupt!
Eventually, it was time for us to make the hike back, our families would soon be here to take us home and give us snacks! We climbed the big hill and the very big steps, until at last, we were back and got everything packed. With some time to spare, we decided to go to the secret spot to start building a lair. With the biggest sticks we could find, we began to build a fort that we can play with for a long time. Our families began to arrive and greeted us with excited eyes.
Thank you all for another incredible week in the lives of your Knee High Naturalists! We hope you enjoy the beautiful weather and we look forward to seeing you all next week to learn about brilliant birds!
