Today we were invaded! You might even say there was an infestation. Creepy, crawly, critters were everywhere! Even in our hair!

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They seemed docile though, gentle enough that we could dig right next to them without being bothered.[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"8411","attributes":{"class":"media-image alignnone size-medium wp-image-109","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"300","height":"225","alt":"IMG_0448"}}]]

Among all of those plastic creatures, a real living friend was found. One who was out and moving on this damp day. One who is brightly colored during his juvenile stage and likes to explore on land.[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"8396","attributes":{"class":"media-image alignnone size-medium wp-image-106","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"300","height":"225","alt":"IMG_0439"}}]]

Its a Red Eft! Whenever Chickadee sees one she thinks of this song that Charley (who used to work in the office of Audubon Vermont) taught her. Check it out, its catchy (just change the words to "salamander salamander").

We said goodbye to Red Eft and headed to Forest Camp. While we ate snack like very hungry preschoolers, Fisher read us a story about a hungry bug. A Very Hungry Caterpillar.

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After that it was off to Mossy Rocks for some climbing on the hill and pretending to be bus drivers and pilots.[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"8426","attributes":{"class":"media-image alignnone size-medium wp-image-112","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"300","height":"225","alt":"IMG_0452"}}]]  [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"8436","attributes":{"class":"media-image alignnone size-medium wp-image-114","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"300","height":"225","alt":"IMG_0456"}}]]  [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"8431","attributes":{"class":"media-image alignnone size-medium wp-image-113","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"225","height":"300","alt":"IMG_0453"}}]]

On our way back to camp to pack up our belongings, we found something. We stopped to look up close and it made some of us a little sad, but most of us had questions. It was a dead baby bird. Where did it come from? What kind of bird was it? Are those its feathers growing in? What should we do with it? Chickadee thought that it looked a little like a Blue Jay. We decided that it must have fallen from its nest way up in a tree because if a predator had attacked it, it might have been eaten and this little guy was whole. We also decided to be respectful and leave it where it lay without touching it and gave it a flower.

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We don't usually have quiet, somber moments at Forest Preschool, but there is a lot that can be learned from them. After we paid our respects, we packed up and flew back down the hill to our waiting parents. We never made it to Lookout Rock, but sometimes its all about the journey.