This week at Audubon, kids learned how it is to be the bird we all know the sound of, especially in the early hours of the morning: the chickadee, or one of the stealthiest creatures many of us have only seen the tracks of: a coyote. Students turned into both in order to understand the diets, habitats, and  environment  that help these animals survive in forests we have also familiarized with.

Learning lessons from a bumble bee before embarking on journeys

Neither tiny paws and claws (upper) and coyote camp (lower) hesitate with mud at Beaver Pond. Our camps joined forces to discover, explore, and create!

Our coyote campers are discovering a coyote skull and what makes it different from other predators. We also made a stop at the Huntington River to cool off!

Exploring? Cooling off? Both? Having fun at Audubon for sure!

Learning the difference between running, hopping, and bounding, animal tracks. Getting to pretend that we move like animals too. Can you hop like a rabbit? Or waddle like a bear?

Looking closely is our favorite thing to do.

Learning in field how to explore in the woods

At lookout rock! A rewarding hike.

Scavenger hunts - what do birds make nests from?

The early stages of a master bird nest builder.

These guys look ready for snack time! Good thing we packed our trail bags.

Searching the forest for all different types of treasures

Showing off our coyote masks.

Playing a scavenger hunt game for birds! A camper taught us this one, so we were excited to add a new game to the camp week.

Birdy birdy cross my sky!

Learning what it takes to be the trickiest of animals: a coyote

We remind ourselves coyotes don't shy away from the water either

A coyote den?

Highlights from our Staff

This week we've gotten to explore different areas of camp. We've gotten to build bridges, dams and secret coyote camps. We met up with the preschool camp at the beaver pond to catch frogs. That was fun. We sang lots of fun songs about Peeling LIIIKE AAAA BANANA and going on bear hunts.     -Kendall

Despite innumerable fun times we've had throughout the week, what has stuck with me most was a simple comment made while meandering through the Sugarbush.  When a camper asked me where a certain trail went, I responded saying it was actually a dead-end in the woods.  To this, the camper responded defiantly "Nothings a dead end, not even the universe!".  The simple profundity of this comment blew me away, and it was not the only such assertion made so far.  Although they are children, these campers dream like philosophers!      -Adam

"Hey my name is_____. We're going to hang out today. If you need help catching any frogs I would LOVE to help!"

Preschool camper talking to an Ecology Day camper when we were discovering at Beaver Pond together. It was really great to have both of the camps working so well together!!

"I'm licking the sun!"

-Molly

Before my eyes the Preschool Nature Campers I once knew transformed into birds and the educators into predators. Owls, hawks, hummingbirds and more all appeared before me.  All now perched over their nests, guarding from any predators that might come there way.  Soon, I knew that they couldn't stay on their nests for long, they needed food.  A few flew from their nests to gather food and I slithered in and took an egg.  Though, this did not stop these birds.  They quickly devised a plan and while one bird waiting and guarded their nest, the other went and gathered food.  All eggs were protected from predators and hatched into beautiful baby birds.

-Emily