Creek Day

The homeschooling group we are members of is having some "Creek Days" for the kids at area creeks.  Today was the first one.  The water was mucky and the creek was running pretty fast in some areas due to a rain storm we had yesterday, but the kids still had a great time.  They found tons of water bugs, one fish, a crayfish, a frog, and many fossils.  By the time we were through they were all wet, but satisfied.

Madeline, of course, had to wear her tiara, but that did not stop her from jumping right in!

The girls all had boots, but Hailey preferred bare feet.  I'm guessing that by next week it will be cool enough that she will need her boots!

 

We found a shell, which Hailey was quite fond of.  She also was not shy about climbing right into the creek.

There were so many water bugs to catch!  I was really glad that I had stopped to pick up some nets and containers before we headed over to the creek!

All of my girls had to sit on this tree and bounce at one point during the trip.  It was irresistible!

Isabella had no fear of the critters that we caught!  She loved this crayfish!

And this frog!

Madeline also liked the frog, but was reluctant to touch the crayfish.

Hailey also made friends with the frog.  Actually, I think she was most amazed by how it attached itself to the side of the stream, in the dirt and roots, to camouflage itself.  It really did just look like a little rock.

Gans Creek

Today, before heading to the pool, I thought we would check out a part of Rock Bridge Park we had never been to before. We went to the Gans Creek area, to look for living and non-living things as part of our science curriculum. While the entrance confused us a bit (guess I should have checked out a map before heading out), we did eventually find a place to explore by the creek.

The girls found LOTS of living and non-living things there. Their list of living things included plants, flowers, trees, tadpoles (or small fish, it was hard to tell because I forgot to bring along a jar to catch one in and they moved fast), crayfish, and insects. Their list of non-living things included rocks (many with fossils), water, sand, mud, and a bridge.

The girls were very diligent about the task. They are always excited to be exploring outside, and today they enjoyed being "scientists," recording their findings. Madeline wrote about her exploration with words, and Hailey and Isabella used pictures. Isabella was especially careful to draw neat little pictures of the things she found.

Here is Madeline sitting in her area, working.

Isabella had a tree and a bridge above her area.

Hailey drew leaves, a tree, and rocks (mostly unidentifiable, but luckily she told me what she was drawing).

This crayfish was hiding among the rocks and leaves in the creek. We saw several of these little guys.