“My good thing is that we got to go to a nature center and I learned how to tell the difference between a boy or a girl toad is you massage their armpit and if they make noises it’s a boy, but if it’s quiet it’s a girl.”
So we tried it. She, (if, indeed, this method is reliable,) was silent but without a doubt highly offended by our rude invasion of her amphibious armpits! We may have scarred that poor toad for life. In hindsight, we probably should have asked her first.
Below: After trying out a few of the Exploration and Conversation cards I gave them, most of the kids found their own preferred methods. I loved watching them work and play together, learning social skills as they navigated how to make suggestions, how to get what they wanted, ways to negotiate, and making space for everyone to participate.
A collection of greenery includes snake grass (horse tails)Why is this old barrel here?Building an animal motel together in the hollow of this tree.
Wouldn’t this be the ideal P.E. class???
Whose scat is that?Feeling the balance.Hackberry TreeThis ant was declared to be doing, “butt-lifts.”The kids noticed an ant highway so we took some time to investigate and observe.A mysterious gall from an oak leaf.Tadpoles galore!The magical damselflyKids in the know announced that these were trout.
I am an and outdoor educator with a master's in early childhood development. I taught elementary school for 20 years and now own Woods and Wetlands LLC, offering programs for local children to engage in nature study through play and exploration-based learning. My programs are all outdoors in whatever "wild" spaces are available. I live in Rockford, Michigan with my husband, dog, and three cats. My unique, therapeutic, one and a half hour programs help children to connect with the natural world and with themselves.
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