What do the kids think ?

We continually evaluate and refine the programs and activities for our after school program striving to provide the best learning experiences and fun for the kids. Just before Winter break we gave the kids a short survey to see what they've learned. Below is some of the results we would like to share. 
  

HOLIDAY FUN RECIEPE

Holiday Greetings

Wildcat Pond

After the heavy rain a week ago Wildcat Pond

made it's appearance. This is a result of run-off 

from the playground and parking lot etc. It settles 

into this swale that was created when 

Weyerhaeuser was first built. This could be called

a bio filter. It works quite well in holding the 

run-off water and releasing it slowly into a drainage

ditch which flows into Tanwax creek and then the 

Nisqually River. This is the way storm runoff

should be treated.

It is interesting how fast the critters take advantage

of this process. While walking along a Wilsons Snpe

exploded almost from under my feet! These wetland 

type birds are hard too see until you are a few feet 

from them. 

It was probing the soggy soil for insects and worms.

Later in the afternoon a Blue Heron showed up

hoping to find a frog, bug or a soggy Vole 

swimming around.

Blue Heron

Wilsons Snipe

Mixed up dandelion

The dandelions in Wildcat are a little mixed up, 

I found this dandelion Dec 15th and figured it

was just late in blooming but after about 6 more

showed up are they just late or early blooming?

Tackling the Invasives

Two invasive plants have been slowly spreading in Wildcat Woods, Evergreen Blackberries and Scot Broom. Tough plants to eradicate without the use of chemicals. The kids have been using ropes to pull them out and cutting them down. We may have to find a mechanized cutter to make real progress. The 4th grade girls decided they were going to try the other day......

Six kid power and the plant is winning

OK loppers always work!

                                                                                                    

The victory celebration

                                                                                                        

"Grandma" what big teeth you have.....

"Critter Fur" is an activity that allows Outdoor Adventure kids to learn and explore what kind of fur/skin/feathers many of the critters in our world have. Pictures and videos only show you the basic information about what covers the animals.  With this hands on activity our tactile senses come into play. By having the actual hides/feathers etc. and by combining them with pictures allows the kids to get a more complete picture.
This year, thanks to Taylor Berry's grandma, we were able to have whole skins of a bobcat, coyote and best of all a wolf!  
     

Little Miss Muffet and her Spider(s)

 Nature has really opened her book for us this year.
The black and yellow garden spiders( Argiope auranti)
were all over Wildcat Woods. Black and Yellows are also known as the writing spiders, they will make zig zag patterns of silk in their webs.  One of the most common and largest spiders found throughout the US they are harmless to humans and very beneficial to the environment. Feeding on large insects including moths and grasshoppers. It would be interesting too see what would happen if a preying Mantis were to get into a one of their webs!
Growing and feeding all summer the spiders are at their full size in October at which time they will mate. (the males usually have their webs close to the females)
The female builds her egg sac in grass or ferns close to the ground. The young spiders hatch and emerge in the spring, they will spread out throughout their habitat and began eating the bad guys.
The 4th grade girls began finding egg sacs along the trails and like good Outdoor Adventure kids they wanted to study them in depth. 


 The egg sacs are quite big and contain hundreds of eggs.
The girls collected two sacs; placing them in a glass jar 
containing materials from their habitat, putting a net
cover over the jar mouth it was then placed in a safe place.
If all goes well the tiny spiders should hatch next spring.
The kids are going to monitor them through out the winter
and spring taking pictures to document what goes on
with the eggs. 
                                                                                                                                                                              

The 3rd Graders have the "Scat Scout Girls" and now 

we have the 4th Grade "Spider Girls"

The Pot of Gold at the end of the Rainbow?????

Of course you all know about the pot of gold at the end of

a rainbow.........The 4th graders were busy gathering materials for 

the new addition to the shelter at Terabithia when the sun popped 

out of the clouds and presented us with a beautiful rainbow. Not

wanting to waste a teaching moment I asked them what was 

special about rainbows, the answer of course was the pot of gold

and before any "scientific" explanation about rainbows could be 

uttered about 15 of the 20 kids were yelling and running over the 

hill to get the gold. A few minutes later they returned, did you find 

pot of gold? No Mr A the rainbow moved away from us and we 

didn't want to leave the school property.........

SCAT SCOUT GIRLS !

The second and third graders watched a film documentary about 
wolves, bears and salmon which showed biologists taking 
wolf scat samples. Scat will show not only what an animal has 
been eating BUT with microsatellite DNA fingerprints to 
individually identify each wolf in the population, know when 
it is born, know when it dies, and know which pack territories 
it visits.  We also use this genetic information to learn about 
the population’s genetic diversity. 
Our program may not have all the equipment to
do in-depth scientific studies, but we are very hands on and
do what we can with what we have. Bring in the 3rd grade 
"Scat Scout Girls"
Headed up by Mrs M  the team took on the task of finding and 
examining the scat left, dropped, pooped ? all over Wildcat Woods.
We do have a severe shortage of wolf scat around here, but there is 
no shortage of coyotes. They spend a lot of time hunting for 
meadow voles this time of year. (note: the vole population
in Wildcat is huge we will do a study on them soon)
Three samples were taken and upon first observation one
coyote was eating voles but one of them was dining on.....
a puddy cat!
The samples will be mixed with water and strained to leave 
solid (food) materials behind for identification. The results 
will be posted.  

Scat Scout girls displaying one of 3 samples they collected

Coyote Canis latrans

Using the proper collecting techniques, just as the 

biologists did, the girls placed the sample

 in ziploc baggies

And there you have the neatly packaged coyote scat.

..........and winter came!

Winter has arrived, really arrived, very cold, wind, and no school.

No school means no Outdoor Adventures after school.

It would be fun tracking all the critters in Wildcat Woods to see

what they were up to in the snow. We will probably get the chance

before the year is over. So with that I wish all of you a happy Turkey Day,

and see you next week. 

Note: just to check how many after school kids look at this blog, draw a cool picture of a "wild turkey" and 
give it to me next week there could be a little prize. (hint, the feather in the picture is from a wild turkey).  

The Juncos Dance

The Dark Eyed Junco is native to our area and a frequent visitor to bird feeders. Like tiny chickens Juncos can be seen scratching for insects, seeds and weeds on the ground.


Snow is like nature's encyclopedia you can see who went where, who ate who, who left some scat and so on. It's  fun to play CSI and try and figure these little mystery s out, for instance the picture shows a series of Junco tracks, but how many Juncos? 4? or 1 really busy one? Maybe it was practicing for DWTS.   

The Salmon's Story

econd and 3rd grades have been learning about the lives of the salmon in our rivers. We have 5 kinds of salmon that spawn in our waters. All of our nearby rivers and creeks are home to Chinook, Coho, Chum salmon and Steelhead trout. They all have basically the same life cycle except timing and length of stay in fresh water. The Outdoor Adventures kids had a class complete with real salmon eggs, spawning gravel etc. It was followed up with a National Geographic video where they saw the real thing. 

SURVIVAL

IF YOU'RE LOST! 2nd graders have been learning what to do if they should ever find themselves lost while hiking or playing in the forest.
There are a few simple rules that will greatly improve their staying alive for at least 72 hrs.
1. Tell an adult where you or you and you friends are going and how long you will be gone.
2. Take a look at the weather and take the right clothes.
3. Take the 2 most important pieces of survival equipment you can have... a large plastic garbage sack and most important of all   your brain!
2. Stay with your friends or group NEVER wander off alone!
3.If you think you may be lost STOP where you are look around for close by tree, stump, log even a large rock. That is going to be your home till someone finds you.
4. Go sit down next to the tree etc and think about what you have that well help you stay warm and dry.. that's where the garbage sack comes in. Take it out of your pocket/pack and open it up, find the bottom, with your finger or stick poke a hole in the center of the bag and a little ways down from the bottom.
5. Stretch the hole just big enough for your face to poke through, sit down by your best buddy the tree etc. pull the bag over your knees and down to your feet  cuddle up inside and you'll be warm in no time.
6. If you hear someone searching stand up take the bag off wave scream, holler to let them see you.

Outdoor Adventures Class of 2010/2011

Almost all of the over 85 students enrolled in the Weyerhaeuser "Outdoor Adventure" Program.
24 second graders,19 third graders, 25 4th graders, 17 5th graders; program coordinator Garry Anderson and program assistant Stephaine Merrival. These kids are our future citizens and we are proud of each and everyone of them.    

New Program Assistant

Please welcome Stephanie Merrival (also known as Mrs. M)

She is my new program assistant with the Outdoor Adventures Program and the newest staff member for Youth Connection.

Mrs. M lives on a small farm with her husband and a bunch of lovable critters including a 140+ pound St Bernard. She also has a pond full of frogs that have invited the kids over for Spring Break Camp (nets n all).

Mrs. M brings a diverse set of skills to the program including: pastry chef (just wait till summer camp), wedding photographer, tree planter and wait till you see her safety gear!

She is also a graduate of Eatonville High and Weyerhaeuser Ele. 

(She remembers Wildcat Woods when it had big trees)

So be prepared for exciting activities this year.

Fall In Wildcat

Fall in Wildcat Woods is a time of transition. Bright reds, oranges and golds dot the landscape, the green grasses of summer are gone; by late afternoon the sun is low in the sky, shadows are long and the air has a crisp bite. The reptiles are underground while field voles are gathering the last of their grass. Canada geese are strung out in the sky like beads that move and wave. Winter is not far..... 

 WELCOME to the first edition of Outdoor Adventures blog at Weyerhaeuser Elementary.
We hope to bring all the stories and fun things with the kids.
We have over 80 participating in the program and more to come..
Twenty six 2nd graders finally got their chance to find the elusive "Moon Rocks', play games and hang out with the critters in Wildcat as you see in the following pics.

                                                                                                                                                                                          
Yellow and black garden spiders (harmless)
tried hiding from those sharp eyes.

Praying mantis didn't have much luck hiding either