Always looking for ways to expand outdoor opportunities for the students in my area, the Saunters program I coordinate was expanded to two weeks. The first week focused in on kindergarten and first grade students. Here is a photographic journey of our time together. We combined our experiences at trails in our district and the Ice Age National Scenic Trail.
Day 1 -Woodside's Timberwolf Trail
It was wonderful to start the week at my favorite trail. I might be biased because I designed it and maintain it, but I think it is an amazing outdoor area. After practicing "how to hike," we stopped at spots around the trail for a scavenger hunt. some exploration, construction, nature art, and of course, play.
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| The first of many toads |
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| Fallen Tree Forest |
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| Rock Pile |
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| Observing one of the birdboxes |
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| Interesting storage strategy |
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| Working hard with woodchips |
Day 2 - Hamilton High School's Trail
It was awesome to dig deeper into one of the district's newest outdoor spaces. This forest and trail is smack dab in the middle of our high school, middle school, and brand new intermediate school. While our nature kindergarten comes on a few visits a year, I hope more students and staff take advantage of this phenomenal space.
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| Sweet tree |
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| Relaxing with our tree art |
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| A tree made from a tree |
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| Natural seesaw |
Day 3 - Hartland Segment
It was time to finally to trek the actual Ice Age Trail. We enjoyed a much different vibe as we hiked through the village of Hartland and became "playground engineers" in our play breaks.
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| Found at the marsh |
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| My "magic tree" has fallen :( |
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| Playground #1 |
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| Historical Tree Cookie at the library |
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| Library's indoor display |
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| Library's outdoor display |
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| Hikers meet bikers |
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| Playground #2 |
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| Beautiful clearing along the Bark River |
Day 4 - Pike Lake Segment
Back to the forest as we ventured along some of the wonderful trail of the Pike Lake State Forest.
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| Natural Play |
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| Tower view |
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| Break |
Day 5 - Lapham Peak Segment
We ended the week with our family hike at Lapham Peak.
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| Mini-tower |
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| Play time |
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| Turkey eggs |
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| Another tower |
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| Lots of steps |
Another wonderful groups of Saunterers wrapped up a wonderful week. On to week 2!
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