Trares
This was Anthony’s excursion. I was simply along for the journey.
Earlier this week, his first-grade class took their annual fall field trip. All of the first-graders in the district head to a nearby nature preserve for a program to learn the wild, weird and wonderful things about nature.
They got to tromp through a recreated Indiana prairie, walk underneath towering sycamore, oak and other hardwood trees and get their hands dirty in the swamp — something Anthony was completely on board with.
“That’s what nature does to you,” he told me afterward.
To complete the experience, the same nature preserve hosted all of the first-graders and their families for evening open house programs. The idea was to let the children share what they learned with their parents and siblings, while introducing them to a little bit of the wonder of nature.
Anthony and I headed out in the early evening for our adventure (my wife was out of town on business, much to her dismay). From the moment we pulled into the parking lot, he flexed his knowledge about the park. He told me where I could park, and where I couldn’t. As we stopped the car and started walking, he pointed at a trail and asserted, “This is the right one,” with the confidence of a seasoned explorer.
Organizers at the nature preserve had put together a delightful program for their guests. Signs pointed out how to get to the forest, the prairie and the swamp habitats. After checking in, we were guided into a shelterhouse where activities and displays had been set up.
One table held examples of animals, insects and plants that you could experience throughout the park. Another area had nature-themes craft, where we made necklace with a piece of twine and a decorated wood slice. At another table, we painted a rock with a bonfire, caterpillar and ladybug.
But the crux of the evening was a scavenger hunt through the nature preserve. We had to find a variety of different items — a tree stump, a crawling insect, prairie grass — and mark it on our score sheet.
Anthony was out ahead, excitedly pointing to all of the features he had learned just days before. He pointed out all of the trails we weren’t allowed to go down, and instead led us in the right way.
I was introduced to “Thorny Theo” — a towering honey locust tree that had its own identifying placard. We spotted squirrels crashing through the underbrush, and woodpeckers flying from tree to tree.
“You might even see a deer,” Anthony told me, a subtle hint to keep my eyes open.
Even with his confidence, his navigation decisions were not absolute. “I can’t remember everything,” he admitted as we were deciding where to go.
We left the nature preserve with our hands full of the crafts we’d made and with a light spirit. Under the green forest canopy, with touches of red, orange and yellow here and there, Anthony used his walking stick to vault along the exit trail.
He was happy, having the chance to show off his learning in a place that I’d never been. He got to be the teacher for once.
And I think I was an OK student.
Ryan Trares is a senior reporter and columnist for the Daily Journal. Send comments to [email protected].
