Lake Norman State Park!

Sometimes the simplest things are the best! We took a trip to visit our close neighbors at Lake Norman State Park, and had such a WONDERFUL experience, mostly due to our phenomenal guide, a retired teacher Park Ranger! I think I might know what I want to do with my own retirement! HA! Our trip was all about "Flora and Fauna". Funnily enough, we have become familiar with those terms through our latest read-aloud! Flora = plants, and Fauna = animals, of course!

First on the docket, we gathered by the lake to talk about our first "Fauna" activity: an Animal Signs Hike!

Our students were very good at helping to list some animal signs to look for. The ranger was impressed with their knowledge, and she was prepared with flashcards to help us remember!

Off we go!

Excited to have discovered an animal sign!

Awesome opportunity to see a tree's root system!

Can you spot the turtles sunning?

Getting ready for our next activity by discussing some local flora.

First, we had our minds blown by being shown how to create nature journals with paper, scissors, a stick, and a couple of rubber bands!

Creating their journals

Finding specimens to rub into their journals

After our leaf rubbing, we took a quick break for lunch, and then came back together for the next activity... Nest Building! The children were divided into four groups, and after some discussion about ground rules and what might be necessary to build a strong nest, the children were off!

It was so interesting to see how different each group's nest was!

Our final activity was SO much fun... a game called "Birds and Worms". Using different types (varying in color, size, and texture) of noodles to represent different types of things a bird might eat, the children were again divided into four groups. After the "worms" had been spread in a field, the children were tasked to find them using a relay team system. Not only was it great fun and exercise, but it was a really eye-opening way to experience firsthand how camouflage works in nature.

This was a fantastic trip, and we will definitely return in future years!

FYI, the state parks system has a "Passport" that you can get for free, that has a page for each of our NC state parks. What fun would it be as a family to fill up the passport with park stamps!?