Spring Time at Hatcher Gardens

Our homeschool group did a spring scavenger hunt at Hatcher Gardens.  We were hoping to see the spring blooms that we normally miss.  However, spring has been finicky this year and the plants seem to know that it isn't the right time to bloom.  We did however, see many daffodils, trees, and shrubs in bloom. 

This little piece of nature in an urban area brings a sense of peace to all that visit.  We love strolling the paths of the garden and listening to the waterfall!

I Spy - Nature Style

This week's nature walk brought us to Hatcher Garden in our community.  It is a lovely nature park in the midst of an urban area.  I discussed with the children the importance of accurate description in plant identification.  So, they were able to test their skills of descriptive adjectives in our walk.

We paired the kids up and had them pick different paths to take.  One partner would stop and turn their back to their partner.  The partner would take ten steps forward and pick out something to describe.  They would describe the plant the best they could using a variety of adjectives and then go back to the partner.  The partner would take ten steps forward and try to identify the plant.  They took turns being the describer.  As they progressed, their descriptions became better and better.

A Beautiful Day to Walk in Nature: Hatcher Garden and Woodland Preserve

Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous outside.  The forecast for the remainder of the week looked grim, so I decided to take advantage of a lovely morning.  November seems to be an ugh month for schooling.  The upcoming holidays add anticipation to the schedule and everyone is ready for a break.  So, I try to come up with clever ways to learn.  The clever idea for the day was a trip to Hatcher Garden and Woodland Preserve.

I have been wanting to take the children to Hatcher for a while.  It just never seemed to fit in the schedule.  However, we were going make a go of it.  Our morning lesson had consisted of a Thanksgiving story and a math/art related lesson on shapes in nature.  I used the math/art lesson to segue into our trip to Hatcher.

 

We stopped by the dollar store and purchased drawing paper and drinks.  Our nature study was going to include an art lesson.  This, of course, thrilled Egee.  She loves to draw and create.  Little Man only draws on occasion, but he did do one drawing.  He was more interested in exploring his surroundings. 

We saw plenty of squirrels and birds.  Leaves were spiraling down from the tops of trees.  We watched them spin like helicopters to the ground.  Little Man searched for turtles in the pond, as Egee drew the landscape.  We let him pick the trail to take and followed.  Hidden treasures appeared around every bend in the trail.  Small ponds, creeks, drainage ditches, benches, gazebos, decks all offered an appeal to him.  Beautiful fall colors surrounded us.  It was hard to believe we were in the city. 

The children and I identified plants during the walk.  We discussed the natural water filtration in the area from the street water run-off.  They learned about retention ponds and bogs.  They noticed the slopes of the land and how the water ran. 

The garden is a lovely getaway that we will continue to visit.  It is a place to step back and enjoy nature for an hour or two.  A true gem in our county!