Five reasons to go outside in the winter, and why nature still teaches in all seasons:

Wow, what a day!!!!

I’m not sure what else to say… so I’ll just tell the story.

The morning started as I met Emma, one of the wonderful PINE volunteers in the Park. We talked about some questions that I had asked her previously, about how she had become connected with nature, and what mentors she had in her life.

On our way to our chat spot, we had picked up some seeds from leftover plants, standing as remnants of the vibrance of the 2009 growing season.

Goldenrod and burdock, along with some seeds from avens were on our hands, closely followed by a series of chickadees, buzzing back and forth to check out our offerings. They weren’t that pleased, but very curious.

As our first of 9 Coyote Pups (the home school program for 4-8 year olds) arrived, we went off to greet and hear their stories. It was nice to see them after time away, and they had plenty to tell.

As the third one arrived, we were gifted with what looked like a Cooper’s Hawk or a Peregrine Falcon (what are ways to tell these two birds apart?) swooping down to hit another smaller bird, and then landing on the ground about 40 yards to the NorthWest of us, beside a set of stairs, under some brush. We became quiet. We snuck up for a closer look. Slowly.

Imagine a 1 grown man, 1 grown woman, three 4 & 5 year olds in puffy snowsuits, and a host of parents (and smaller children in tow) sneaking up on a very aware bird of prey. Are you laughing? The swishy sound of snowpants drawn out over a very slow and deliberate sneaky movement is something that always kinda makes me laugh.

Anyhow, the bird of prey moved once (to a better spot for us to view) and then took off after a few minutes to enjoy it’s breakfast in peace.

We went back to meet the others having had this adventure, asking questions such as: I wonder what that bird had to teach us?

We discussed. We met the other five young pups that would join us the day, and circled up with parents and siblings to prepare and mention a few things we were thankful for. A warm winter day was one of them. Birds were definitely another.

Setting out on our adventure (and saying goodbyes to moms and dads) we roared off to the South, and told stories of the birds landing on our hands earlier in the morning. Everyone went searching for seeds. The boys were pretty amazing at getting burrs on pretty much everything, and finding plenty of seeds along the way.
We stood still and watched as chickadees, nuthatches, and even a downy woodpecker came and checked us out. Two birds landed on hands, one being the woodpecker! Amazing!

We thanked the birds, and took off into the woods, soon finding some amazing trees to climb. Coyote pups turned into monkeys. We found signs of Raccoons and Squirrels in the trees, and played until we were hungry.
Two of our boys led the way to a cool stick fort they knew of, to find shelter for our snack. They helped others up and down steep hills, and also took off sliding down hills and rolling all over the place. We snacked and played in the fort, finding the remains of stinging nettle near by, a great plant for teas and a delicious spinach substitute.

More tree climbing and exploring, some snacking and some laughs later, we were ready to head back. Our path back lead us along a cool swampy area, and we even found the remains of a possum, that looked as though it had been killed by a coyote. We examined some of the ways which possums are different from other animals, and how they survive, thanked it for it’s sacrifice and for teaching us, and then ran back to see mom’s and dads. Just before we arrived, we got to identify one of our best awareness tools (poison ivy!) in the winter, helping us to stay safe and keep our awareness high.

Upon arriving back we had plenty of stories to tell, and some to hear from little brothers and sisters, and parents that had been off on their own adventures!

I’m so thankful for this day. I’m so thankful that despite all the work I do on a computer, there are little ones out there with the zest for life to go on these adventures, and make them so much more than they would be otherwise! Can’t wait to see you all next week!

-Andrew