Fall Camping = Outdoor Ed

Hi everyone! Some of us girls are homeschooled, so that means we got to go camping last week. HOWEVER, Meli made sure it was a learning experience since this is fall after all!


Clara and I did all the usual camping things like hiking...



... until our little legs got tired and we got carried!



And of course we roasted marshmallows...



... and got to play in this cool teepee that someone built.



We also studied wildlife behavior. Bears are attracted by food in dumpsters so these have special locks that even Meli can hardly open.



A bear was seen in the campground just a few days before we arrived, so we were extra careful to clean everything up at night before going to bed in the trailer. If a bear becomes a problem they have to kill him, which is really sad, so it's best not to attract them to areas where people are.



You know I love birds, so I was busy studying my favorite bird guide every afternoon. We saw downy woodpeckers, stellars jays, and lot of other birds.



But, my favorite one was this western tanager that we saw when we first arrived.



There were lots of chipmunks and squirrels around, too. They would pack their cheeks full of food and then run off to their homes to store it for winter.



Clara loves plants! She identified and wrote about the ones we saw. This is sage and smells wonderful.



And a few Indian Paintbrushes were still in bloom.



This is called harebell and is very dainty!



I liked these pretty red berries, but Clara warned me that they are poisonous! There are kinnikinnick or bearberries.



Look at this baby pine tree that Clara found! There have been a lot of trees killed by a pine beetle, so some new one are being planted. The tree is protected so animals won't eat it.



We learned how to cook on a campfire by raking the hot coals out and burying the food in them. It was so yummy, especially the sweet potatoes!



Clara and I agreed that camping is a great way to learn about nature!

See you again soon,

Kiki