Timberwolf Trail - Sticks

Sticks go a long way in nature kindergarten. Yesterday, we gathered sticks and reviewed the terms longer, shorter and equal. It was great to take something discussed within our regular classroom walls and see them transfer that understanding in a more tactile and refreshing way. We had so much fun with sticks, I had to take them out here again.

We went to the hidden forest and gathered sticks that were about the same height as us. Then, we used them as walking sticks as we meandered the trail to the natural play area to play this year's first ever stick championship. Similar to the math championship we hold inside, this is an engaging way to practice basic counting. As play began, one by one, student mathematicians were eliminated until one was left standing: our inaugural Stick Champion. To celebrate, many kids offered their stick for him to have (or at least hold for a silly picture).

I thought the stick shenanigans were done, but as we headed back and lined up, what did we find walking on the school door? A walking stick of course. This unexpected visitor turned into a mini-lesson and a more hands on experience then many of the children were expecting. The class of course named him Sticky and wished him well before releasing him in the grass and continuing our day.

I wonder if we will find Sticky again???  Either way, I know we will have a blast trying.

Timberwolf Trail - Week 1 - 2016-17 Edition

It was great to take the new class of nature kindergartners out for the first official outdoor day. In the first few days of school, we have hiked daily and gained experience in our main gathering areas connected to the trail, but there' s always something special about venturing off trail and seeing where nature takes us.

I hope our first steps weren't an omen of things to come as three steps into our journey, we found a chipmunk who had seen better days. Though the kids were engaged, I hoped the "life" of the forest had many more lessons to offer.

Black Locust identification

After saying sayonara to the chipmunk, we headed to the "grass class" to read one of my favorite picture books: Little Tree, by Loren Long.  I think this book is perfect for the young outdoor adventurer. In a nutshell, a small tree doesn't grow like his tree neighbors because he refused to drop his leaves out of fear and nervousness.  While the others kept growing, this little tree is stuck being little. He finally gathers enough courage to try something new. He drops his leaves and before you know it, he is as tall as the others.  I want my students to avoid being little trees and take a chance, trying things they are unsure of, taking chances, and putting trust that those chances will help them grow to the best they can be.

Practicing their own risk assessment

On our first off trail adventure, we headed to the fallen tree. On our way, we did a mini lesson on identifying the thorny and annoying black locust tree. Almost instantly, the kids were shouting out when they found the tree so that others could avoid it. We also brainstormed various safety strategies for going off trail before putting those strategies to use.

After leaving the fallen tree, it was over to the rock pile for some building and exploration and on to snack. Even this early in the year, students noticed that there was some trash and bottles by the rock pile. Without any input from me, they took it upon themselves to clean it up.

After stopping for a few minutes of free time in our natural play area, we trekked through the goldenrod field to find the inside tree. Here, the kids also were able to catch a glimpse and hear the sounds of the subdivision construction next door. They even found a tree shelter that I had never seen before.

The "Inside Tree"

Once we returned to the main trail, we found a large collection of tiny mushrooms. One of the students belted out the line of the year so far, "It's like a pizza in here." After searching for other ingredients, we found the hidden forest and marked out our boundaries: the "V" tree and the "3" tree. Once we knew where we could explore, the class found bugs, spiderwebs, vines, and sticks. . .lots of sticks. Luckily, we were using sticks for a math lesson in the afternoon, so we took the collection back with us to the oak tree.

Some of the fungus among us

"V" tree

"3" or "W" tree

Who says chivalry is dead?

When we returned outside after lunch and specials, we reviewed an earlier math lesson of longer and shorter by measuring sticks with our classmates. We paired up, compared sticks, used our math vocabulary and then tried to line up as a class from shortest to longest with our various sticks.

Comparing lengths

We wrapped up the day with our introduction to nature journals. Recapping our outdoor days in words and pictures, today we focused on the process of adding the date to the page and finding a nice working spot. As the year goes on, more elements of writing will be added to each journal entry.

Nature journaling

If today was a sign of things to come, we are going to have an absolutely fantastic year of play, exploration, and social, personal, physical, and academic learning.

Tyke Hike #29 - Monches

The last Tyke Hike before the school year hits was wonderful. Despite the heat and humidity, 19 hikers and a pooch hit the Monches Segment in search of the fungus among us.

On this beautiful segment on the edge of Waukesha County, we learned about many different things the fungus that fill the forest floor can do for both people and nature. Between some terribly amazing nature jokes and some fungi facts, we discussed the different types of mushrooms and how we can enjoy some of them for food. Then, we shared information about how they can be used for medicinal purposes.

Lastly, we focused on how fungi are important to the health of the forest. As always, I used questioning to get the children to share what they know and what they think about the topic. An impressive answer from one of our tykes brought up the concept of decomposers. From there, we talked about how trees break down and help keep the forest a great place for both plants and animals to live.

Of course, talking about fungi isn't nearly as much fun as searching for them.  Finding a special place where some decomposing trees were near the trail, the hikers enjoyed some natural play time and found many things. From fungi and lichens to frogs and logs, we enjoyed our discovery time.

The school year slows down the Tyke Hike schedule, but only a bit. We are back to our once-a-month hike, continuing next on Saturday, September 17th at 10AM at the UW-Waukesha Field Station. We will be searching for prairie plant seeds and enjoying a beautiful hike near the Waterville Segment.

Tyke Hike #28 - Hartland

Upper eighties and humid isn't ideal hiking weather, but twelve sweaty souls and one four-legged friend enjoyed a hike through Hartland anyways. This waterways-focused hike began at the Hartland Library, where a new Ice Age education area is being created in preparation for a special event later this month. This is all part of Hartland recently becoming an Ice Age Trail Community.

Early in the hike, we traveled through something apathetic for adults and exciting for kids: the Ice Age Alley. With the trail cutting through downtown Hartland, it is a bit different than the more natural terrain we experience on other tyke hikes.

Along the way, we discussed waterways impact on Wisconsin's history. From the rivers being used as transportation in the Fur Trade era to tourism and recreation impacts today and in the future, Wisconsin's waterways are extremely important to who we are and who we become.

Of course, we couldn't just talk about waterways? We had to enjoy them. It was a very "cool " experience in the sweltering heat.

After our dip, Nancy from the Hartland Library read us a wonderful story written by Jim LaMarche entitled The Raft. Growing up in Kewaskum, this author wrote this story based on his own experiences on a Wisconsin waterway, thew Milwaukee River.

After the story ended and we enjoyed another quick dip, we began the trek back to the library. Were the kids ever surprised to see a special guests on the way. While it was great to run into of the greatest Ice Age Trail Alliance volunteers the Waukesha/Milwaukee County Chapter has to offer, I have an inkling the tykes were more intrigued by a furrier friend.

It is always great to see the official Ice Age Trail mascot, Monty the Mammoth, especially on such a hot evening. I am also sure Monty was happy to see his smiling fans and his good friend, the Tyke Hike mascot, Mojo.

Another wonderful Tyke Hike in the books. Please consider joining the last Tyke Hike before the school year starts. We're going on a Fungi Hunt Wednesday, August 10th at the Monches Segment. Also, please consider checking out the grand opening celebration of the Ice Age Education Area at the Hartland Library on August 23rd from 2-6pm.

Yosemite National Park - Yosemite Valley

Yosemite was touted as a beautiful and popular place to visit and it delivered on both those promises. Battling triple digit temperatures and large, large crowds. we managed to see a good chunk of the park and still keep our sanity.

Our daughter was an amazing trooper on the long and sometimes winding car rides up and down the mountain. Though we are now two for two on having her lose a lunch in a rental car, she rebounded quickly and didn't let a little motion sickness ruin her exploring time.

She loved seeing El Capitan and Half Dome, though climbing on stumps and rocks along the trails was much more exciting. Her trek through the sequoia a forest and rock climbing at Glacier Point seemed to preferred.

Standing on her stump seat

Mule Deer who was not intimidated by humams in the least bit

Though she was a bit sad we wouldn't let her take a pine cone home, she is aware that "nature stays with nature" and made sure to remind us that at various points throughout the trip.

Embry in her "dinosaur track"

Enjoying a fallen giant

This fallen giant was hollow the whole way through.

While anytime in nature is a good time with me, getting up close and personal with giant sequoia trees was a highlight for me. Unfortunately, the highly-touted Mariposa Grove was closed this season. However, we weren't disappointed by the smaller grove we visited. Sitting in shadows of a fallen giant, walking through a dead stump, and just taking in the sights and spectacular smells made the long drives and sweaty treks worthwhile.

A very dirt-filled nature loving girl

Hanging with one of daddy's favorite naturalists