Hilger Higher Learning Homeschool joined WaterWays at the outdoor classroom at Enterprise South Nature Park. The classroom is located on the Equestrian Trail, which is often reserved for either educational opportunities like this one or people looking to explore the trails via horseback. The area serves as a perfect learning environment due to the accessibility to the Wetlands. It provides students with the opportunity to explore and learn more about the species, observing them up close in their own ecosystem.
Everyone, including the parents who accompanied us, was excited to see and explore the wetland. Even though the water levels were low, there was still plenty of mud to splash and get stuck in, which is why boots are the go-to attire. Grasshoppers, Katydids, Stinkbugs, and Dragonflies were some of the critters they managed to catch, but the real stars of the show were the adorable little cricket frogs. The group also got to use binoculars and spotted the beaver nest without getting too close or disturbing nature’s engineers. They saw plenty of birds as well, though there’s still some debate about whether this “white bird” was actually a bird or just a tree stump.
They also had the chance to explore the trails around them, gently lifting logs, rocks, and brushing away leaves. If it could be lifted, it was lifted. Plenty of bugs, such as beetles, grubs, and millipedes, were discovered. The critters were temporarily put in the children’s critter catchers so everyone could take a closer look without them crawling all over the place before safely returning to their home.
The day ended with a game that involved both parents and kids. The activity showed how different bugs they had observed, like bees and dragonflies, have differing wing anatomy, meaning they fly differently, which affects how vulnerable they are to predators. The children were either a bee or a dragonfly, racing down the path while the parents were frogs, trying to tap them as if they were catching food with their tongues. The game was filled with shrieks and laughter as kids tried to slip through the parents’ hands, though two parents teamed up as an unstoppable froggy duo, managing to tag most of the children.
We would also like to give a big thank you to the Volkswagen volunteers who came out to assist with the field trip.
