Timberwolf Trail - Trail Camera Captures - March 2020 Edition

Well, the school may be closed but the animals don't seem to mind. Enjoy our latest set of photos from the Timberwolf Trail.

The Blue Jays are back!

Easter Bunny?

Jump Around

Deer Party

Gobblers

Raccoons

Squirrel Leap

Triple Squirrel

Turkey

Opossum

Woof Woof

Citizen Science - Wetland Monitoring - 2020 Edition

Citizen Science season 2 has begun for the Dargatz Family!

As part of the Waukesha County Parks program Conservation in the Parks citizen science program, volunteers have been trained to monitor wetlands in Waukesha County's wonderful parks and natural areas.

We are fortunate enough to have one of the participating wetlands just a two minute walk away from our front door. We monitor in the Weiland Preserve, a property of the Waukesha County Land Conservancy (https://www.waukeshalandconservancy.org/).

Last season, we enjoyed monitoring the wetland as a family, but this year, we are letting the kids even more involved. Our oldest, even had her own waders this time around. We're early in the season, but thought it'd be fun to show you all a little bit about what we do and maybe even empower you to know you can join in on the fun.

Last year, Embry had an unfortunate run in with a digger crayfish she affectionately named Snippy. One of our first finds this year was his older and much larger sister. Ms. Snippy Bigclaw. Seriously though enjoy the videos of our finds and stay tuned for future updates.

I am bummed that I am not able to do other citizen science projects at this time with my kindergarteners. Before the pandemic hit, we were practicing for our participation in the Great Wisconsin Birdathon (https://wibirdathon.dojiggy.com/af2079e/regPages/pages/?p=b71cdaba) and waiting for the green to return so we could search for garlic mustard, and then pull it as part of the Garlic Mustard Pull-a-thon (https://sewisc.org/garlic-mustard-pull-a-thon). Hopefully, we get the opportunity to participate in these at our school trail. Otherwise, you are free to join in on the fun with your own family.

I also highly recommend looking into the Conservation in the Parks program at https://www.waukeshacounty.gov/landandparks/park-system/ConservationintheParks/ to see all the wonderful opportunities available throughout 2020. Chances are you'll find a Dargatz family member there!

Timberwolf Trail - Week 27 - 2019-20 Edition

Monday. Rain. Tuesday. Sun and warmth. Wednesday. Snow. Thursday. Fog. Friday. Nothing but clouds.

Or just another March week in Wisconsin.

The fluctuating forecast didn't stop nature kindergarten from learning.

We practiced our balancing skills in math by creating and testing nature scales to compare the weights of different nature items.

 

We enjoyed some reading time outside, both individually and with classmates.

We also some exploring into the nderground "pipes," or roots, we found,

jotted down our discoveries in our nature notebook,

and completed an easel challenge with our letter of the week.

Birding in the snow was different and unexpected, but we handled it. We also worked through a round of outdoor stations with a service learning group phat wood chipped muddy parts of the trail,  a group that added an entry to their nature notebooks, and a group that expressed their creativity through mud painting.

Hiking is always a sizable chink of our time. We checked out our new birding benches to label them. We will be using these benches to observe, identify, and monitor the nesting boxes they are strategically placed near. Citizen Science in action

On our hike, we also saw many nature friends, including robins, deer, a cottontail, and a hawk.

We also got a visit from one of our favorite nature friends: Mr. Stokes (http://dwstokes.com/).

We discussed how changing weather impacts nature and the creatures that inhabit it. We even created a virtual rainstorm. Please see the sequence of videos below.

We also experimented with thunder sticks. Notice the joy on the face of this nature kindergartener. This is what it is all about!

Of course, we had to experience a real live animal as well. Here is a ball python.

We finished up the week placing our butterfly garden signs out and dispersing some newly acquired seeds around the land.

Let the growing and play continue!

Timberwolf Trail - Week 26 - 2019-20 Edition

The thaw is on, which meant it was a dirty week on the trail.

Stuck in the mud

This week, we also had the time of year where it's still snowy and icy on the ground, but the temperatures make you want to take off the winter gear.

The newest addition to the trail  is a number of Leopold benched donated by a Eagle Scout. These benches were placed this week and will serve as nestbox monitoring/observation spots for when we dig deeper into birding.

Mud!

Fun guy with some fungi

Did you know the best way to get mud off of snow gear is by rolling down a snowy hill? Truth.

Inside, some friends have been testing out their balancing skills with random artifacts from our nature center while the class has seen our igloo continue to grow.

Back outside, we officially started practicing for our upcoming participation in the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin's Birdathon. Not too many birds around yet, but practice makes progress and patience is key.

We also grabbed out nature backpacks and did some journaling outside

With the thaw in full effect, we have entered wood chipping season. Using donated wood chips, the class continued their service project for the trail by adding wood chips to the muddier sections of the trail.

One of our favorite things is to host friends from other classrooms. We have weekly visitor from a different grade level who has quickly become a class favorite. he was even asked to be a guest judge during the current trend on the trail: having an America's Got Talent show outside.

Of course we found plenty of opportunities to explore and natural play before ending the week with another nature notebook entry and classroom share.

Spring is almost here, meaning our time outside will become more and more and more and more.