Nature Day

We had other plans for Tuesday, but those got changed by circumstances beyond our control. That means we had to plan something else so there wouldn't be a whole day of disappointment. We chose...PARK!

We went to the Brown County State Park. While driving through the park, I saw what looked like two little puff balls in the road. When we got closer, we saw that they were two baby raccoons fighting over a small piece of road kill. The raccoons were so cute, but I explained to the girls how baby animals, no matter how adorable looking, can be vicious and mean. We enjoyed watching them waddle and hiss at each other as they tried to grab the food from each other. I never could tell what they were eating, but it looked like a flat lizard.

We parked near the Nature Center and walked a self-guided trail. We stopped at all the stations and read about what was on the trail. They remembered a lot from the last time we were there, and they learned new words from the brochure. Of course we saw squirrels, chipmunks, and various birds. We brought the nature books we have and were able to identify a cow bird (and how they brood) and a Great Spangled Fritillary butterfly. Sami found a small toad, which was mercifully only played with for about a minute before she set it free.

We got to see two Eastern Box Turtles crawling close to each other. They are endangered in Indiana, therefore we didn't touch them or harass them. If we had, we would have been able to pick them up and see if they were a mating pair. Did you know that it is possible to tell the difference between boy turtles and girl turtles? Before they were endangered, we would turn them over and looks at the shape of their shell bottom. Since we couldn't touch them, we just had to speculate.

At the Nature Center we got to see a big, fat rattle snake and copperhead. They were very active and gave us a good view of their bodies and heads as they moved around their habitats. I always appreciate seeing them in real life, so that it will help me identify them if I see any in my yard. Pictures just can't do these snakes justice. Seeing the real thing and their big, triangle shaped heads will make it easier for me to know when to run screaming if one ever shows up in my yard. Seriously.

Outside the Nature Center, there is a bird feeding area and pond. The girls enjoyed watching a cowbird, and identified it by themselves since we researched it. The cowbird kept looking at itself in the one-way mirror and puffing up to scare away it's mirror-rival. They got to see just how much bird seed one little chipmunk could stuff into it's cheeks. They got to see great big frogs jump way up in the air and attempt to catch dragon flies as they buzzed by. We giggled a lot at these side shows.

I couldn't find my camera before we went, so there are no pictures to add. Bummer.

Finally slowing things down...phew! But we're still busy?

Cutting out all the extra running has been WONDERFUL! It's been so much more relaxing and pleasant around the house. We still do the things that we love, and we still do extras, just not crazy extra.

We went on a field trip to Brown County State Park last Friday. We got to explore the Discovery Trail (which was very fun) and we got to see the Nature Center and see birds up close. We then had a picnic lunch and played at a playground.

While at the park, a nice older couple sat next to us with their children and grandchildren. They started up a conversation with me, and turns out they were retired school teachers. I don't know what they thought about our rowdy group of homeschoolers, but I think offended them and scared them away because their granddaughter started bawling when one of our parents accidentally scared her. They left right after that without so much as a good-bye. Oh well.

We went to Apple Works today, and got to tour the facilities, pick our own apples, go on a hayride, pet animals at the petting zoo, and pick our own pumpkins. How fun was that??? Even the yellow jackets enjoyed it.