February 2006
The Get Outdoors Club explored the forests during the month of February. We kicked off the month with our Adopt-A-Tree activity. We hiked outdoors around the local bike trail and the kids each chose a tree they wanted study. The trees were labeld by inserting thumbtacks with the initials of the kids written in permanent marker on the tack heads. The kids examined their trees and sketched pictures in their journals and noted characteristics about the trees, including any signs of animals on or near them.
Another afternoon we listed all of the different forest animals we could find around our town. We then talked about the color patterns of these animals and how important camouflage is. We played a game using the concept of camouflage as a base and the kids hid in a nearby evergreen forest as one person counted. Remaining immobile, the seeker had to look hard through the trees to find as many hiders as possible. The kids loved the game and were not eager to head back indoors, even though the weather was windy and below freezing that day.
We took a trip down to Wabasha to learn about bald eagles at the National Eagle Center. Then we drove north and south of Wabasha along the Mississippi River eagle watching. We spotted several large eagle nests in the cottonwood trees along the river and in the backwaters area. We also drove to a scenic overlook above Wabasha and the kids were able to get an eagle’s eye view of the floodplain.
The kids were able to talk to a local logger who has worked in Norway for a logging company. He shared photos and stories and even showed the kids some of the basic pocket tools a forester uses to measure trees and determine which ones are suitable for harvesting.
The month concluded with a trip to a small nearby zoo that features animals native to Minnesota. The kids worked in teams to explore the zoo and complete an animal scavenger hunt. We snowshoed through the forests at the park that afternoon, searching for various items to see, smell, taste, touch and hear. The kids were excited to find and follow various animal tracks including deer, squirrel, rabbit and fox.
On the return trip from the park, the kids were quiet and quickly fell asleep to the movement of the van. I sat in the quietness reflecting on the looks of excitement and curiosity the kids had displayed during our snow shoe hike. By bringing them into the woods, we had allowed the children to be engaged with nature and to slow down and focus on the environment around them. Thier minds and bodies had absorbed the crisp sensory experience and now they were relaxed and calm. As happens after our monthly yoga activity, the kids had found an inner peace.
