Cousin Fun at the Nature Preserve

Miriam and I are taking a 4 session class at the Calvin Nature Preserve with Renee, Ty and Cassie right now.  We are meeting for 4 Tuesday afternoons, and today was our second session.  So far it has been gorgeous weather for both classes!

Last week we learned about camouflage and how animals can hide and blend in with their surroundings.  We looked for things in nature that were various colors.  We also played a game where the kids had to pretend to be mice and hide in the weeds, and the teacher was a hawk who was hunting them and she tried to spot them.

This week we learned about squirrels and chipmunks.  The kids colored while we waited for everyone to arrive:

After a puppet show and a short lesson time, we headed out to hike through the woods.  First we had to hide some "nuts" (which were actually lima beans) in the woods.  After our walk and other activities, we came back and had to find them again.  I was amazed the Miriam found all 6 that she had hidden because I would have had no idea how to find them all again!  On our walk we saw squirrels, chipmunks and a snake.  We played a game where we had to pretend to be squirrels and freeze if our leader said the name of a predator. 

After the class was finished we spent a little more time on the trails.  We had fun exploring and then the kids played hide and seek in the weeds again.

We've been having a great time and are looking forward to the next 2 sessions.  Hopefully the beautiful weather will continue!