Gray Squirrels 2017-18: Week 13 - Ecological Inventory
Our community is really getting into the "swing" of things! We had a fun day exploring and revising our sense of direction! Part of taking healthy risk is knowing how to establish what we are capable of and what is safe. We learned today that grapevines can make great swings, but there are a few things to check before trying them out. We talked about how to make sure it is safe and how to test the vines before putting all our weight on them.
After opening circle and sharing gratitudes, we split up into our clans and set out to explore the land. Along the way we found some interesting seeds, or are they nuts? The discovery scope came in handy as we tried to learn more about these objects that are all over the place.
There were so many different things to stop and explore on our wander! We learned about the unique partnerships of lichens and specifically about the medicinal usnea that grows in our area!
We had a lot to observe today and it was so nice we spent time out at the pond trying to see what we could see through the dark water.
One of the last mysteries of the day was some scat we found on a log. Was it a raccoon, fox, opossum? How can we tell? Stella led us through observing all we could from the outside before we carefully started picking it apart with some sticks, so interesting! We also explored how we can tell what animals live in our woods, even though we never see them, by the signs they leave behind.
We trekked out to the edge of the property for a lovely warm lunch, then met back up with the other clan to explore the swamp and play a few games before it was time to head home.
