More Than Meets the Eye

“There’s more to something than meets the eye” is a saying that means we often need to take a closer look at things or people or places before we can really understand them. The same is true to know a place in nature well - you have to take your time to look closely, smell it, touch it, listen to the sounds around it, and explore every nook and cranny. We were on a mission to find out more about pond life in Harrington but first we needed a tool. See if you can explain to someone at home how you and a partner made a dip net. 

We learned about some of the creatures we might see in the pond like water striders, snails, frogs and toads, as well as different larvae and minnows. Which creatures did you or a friend find? Which predators might enjoy eating them?

How were you a good caretaker of the pond as you tried to discover more about it? Think about what we talked about when we gathered around the stump circle in Cedar Hideaway: using careful footsteps, catching and releasing pond critters using a gentle hand, and thanking any critter we netted for allowing us to have a closer look at them.

What other interesting discoveries did you make today when you stopped and took a closer look?

The nesting box near our A-frame shelter

Taking a closer look inside...somebody's been busy!

We continued to be good stewards by removing more invasive garlic mustard as well as cleaning up the trail we call ‘Root Highway’. Try to remember how the Sweet Joe Pyeweed seeds we planted will help the pollinators. What is your goal in terms of being a caretaker of the land we share each Friday?

It’s true that we love playing games at nature school but there’s also a lot we can learn when we play them. See if you can tell someone at home what you learned about the water cycle when you were a drop of water from one of the Great Lakes. In our relay game, why was it okay that we didn’t end up with as much water in the bucket as we started with?

it was great having everyone together today! What was your favourite thing to do with another Heron and what makes that person an important member of our CNS team? Next week, let’s see if we can each get to know one other person in our group a little better by looking a little closer.