The morning was cool and sunny, a perfect way to welcome Fall at Forest Classroom. Our introduction activity was learning about insects and create our very own leaf insects. We discussed the parts of an insect; head, thorax, abdomen, 6 legs, and antenna.  We all got to be creative and pick what we wanted to use to make our insects, and if we wanted to add anything additional, like wigs. They all came out so great! Once we finished we enjoyed a leaf litter search. We found so many worms, and many Red-backed salamanders too. 

After morning meeting and snack we went down to the field to play Park Ranger. While there we noticed a root that would trip people and decided to rip it up. While we did this, someone spotted a baby snapping turtle! This was such an incredible find. We all got a chance to hold it too. At home, if you find any amphibians or reptiles you can help Vermont keep a record by sending in your details to the Vermont Herp atlas! This community science action is incredibly helpful for our state and environment.  

Our morning explore time was spent at the Sherman Hollow Brook. As always, we assessed the area for safety and set our boundaries. Our time there was spent collecting critters, we caught crayfish, dusky salamanders, and some other cool macroinvertebrate too. Some of us spend our time working on a bridge, that then turned into a damn because the water got too deep in one section and to stay within our boundaries, they had to switch plans. It was awesome to see that group work through that obstacle and come away with a fix. Many of us enjoyed running and catching leaves as they fell from the trees too! 

After lunch and reading more of Belly Up, we played and had some free explore time which led into Shelter Building. As a group we discussed the materials we could use for the shelter, as well as what makes a good shelter. We talked about hazards and safety around shelter building too. The students self-selected and 2 groups were formed, one group was working on a lean-to shelter, while the other was building a log cabin type structure. 

Our days outside just fly by!