Spring at the ODC

Well, today was our final visit to the Outdoor Discovery Center.  Today our guide was Miss Vicki.  We began in the meadow, and then moved on to the pond.  The kids were very excited to see the change in the pond area.  They found a frog, some small fish, and were able to feel the water!

We then walked through the woods and saw some interesting things along the way...

This is the same praying mantis egg sack that we saw in the fall and the winter.   It looks like the eggs have hatched, as the bottom of the sack was open.  Thank you to Zavier, who knew where to look for it!

We saw some frog eggs in a small Vernal Pool, which is a pond only formed when there is a lot of rain.

The other side of the Vernal Pool.

Wild strawberry plants.

A gall, which is formed on a plant.  It has a bug inside.

Miss Vicki helped us find a couple of snakes in the same rocky area we saw this winter. This is the area where the snakes hibernate in the wintertime.

The kids searched all over for snakes, and successfully found two!

Brendan found a little centipede.

Here is one of the snakes we found.

A beautiful, blossoming tree.

Close up

Tent caterpillars.

Miss Vicki had an app on her phone with various bird calls.  She played a few different ones to try to lure in some birds for the kids to see.

Looking for the birds being called in by the bird call app.

Our next stop was the elk enclosure.  There were several females and one male.

Carson and Jace by the elk antlers.

We made another stop at the pond by the entrance.  Miss Vicki used a large net to scoop up some critters for us to see.  We were fortunate enough to see a couple of tadpoles and a dragonfly nymph.

 

Our final stop of the morning was inside to look at the taxidermy animals and three real animals.

Miss Vicki showed us three live animals today.  First, a turtle.  She showed us a large shell and discussed how the turtle's vertebrae is attached to the shell.  Next, she showed us a toad.  Miss Vicki taught us that when holding a toad by its armpits, if it makes a noise, it is male.  If it is quiet, it is female.  When she held up the toad, he squeaked, so we knew it was male.  Finally, she showed us a frog.  To tell the difference between males and females on a frog, Miss Vicki taught us that there is a round black spot just behind the eyes on a frog.  If the black circle is larger than its eye, the frog is a male.  If the spot is the same size or smaller, it is female.  The frog we saw today had a large black spot, so he was a male!

 

 Before we departed, I took a group shot of the class.  It's a bitter sweet feeling knowing that our year together is almost to the end.  We have a great chemistry and I am so thankful for each and every one of your children!  Thank you for trusting me to lead them through their first grade year!

 

Have a wonderful weekend!