Little Naturalists

There was a child went forth every day;
And the first object he look'd upon, that object he became;
And that object became part of him for the day, or a certain part of the day, or for many years, or
stretching cycles of years.
--From Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass


Last Saturday we spent the greater part of the day at the Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Annandale, VA.  While the kids enjoy going to nature centers year round, winter is really an ideal time to visit one of the many in our area.  There's a lot to see and learn inside the actual center while staying warm and cozy.  Later, a winter walk in the surrounding woods is at once invigorating and calming.  I've come to appreciate the stark, still, quiet, and bare-boned beauty of winter through the many nature walks I've taken with the kids in this season.  The kids, having grown up with four seasons and its changes, take all of this awesome beauty for granted.  For them, this is all just a normal part of their lives, and I think to myself, thank goodness for that....how lucky are they...what a wonderful world for my little naturalists.

The boys were asleep upon arrival.

Evan and turtle curious about each other.

Chase had fun looking for objects
 (such as a horse jawbone, beaver bitten wood,
cowrie shells, cedar woodblock, etc.) that matched
the pictures/descriptions in the book.

Skyler loves butterflies.

Evan enjoyed investigating everything in the nature center.

Look at this whale bone, Mom!

Skyler showing Chase different animal pelts.
She is such a little teacher and is
overjoyed when Chase is in the mood
to be an obliging student.

Evan kept going back to press the various bird calls.

Posing with whale vertebrae.

Ah, outdoors!  Evan wanted to walk
on his own and usually in the
opposite direction of where we were headed.

Sign of the times: Terrible Twos.
Evan kept going off the path, under the
sharp branches, and into areas where it was
dangerous to walk.  I had trouble getting to him
at times because he'd escape under a low branch.
He was not happy when I'd finally catch him. 

Skyler took this photo of us.

Pocky Pals.

Hide-and-Go-Seek Chase.

The frog pond.  The kids went to investigate because
we heard this high-pitched chirping noise
that sounded like birds coming from that area.

Turns out the pond was filled with chirping frogs.
  We learned that only the male
frogs, who were trying to attract the female ones,
make his sound.

A Naturalist came out and scooped up a big
blob of frog eggs.  The kids thought
that was pretty cool.

Chilling out in the sun.

Playtime at the nearby playground.
Evan enjoys the baby (sumo mawashi-like) swing.
Skyler and Chase both loved the baby swings, too,
when they were little.

Skyler prefers to ride sideways these days.

Treasures found, including a perfect little pinecone.

Treasures bought: Amethyst cluster,
Pyrite (Fool's Gold),
fossilized shark tooth,
and a little frog (that Chase loved
for about a day.)

Annandale is considered the Koreatown of the DC area,
so naturally there are tons of Korean restaurants and
establishments there.  Our favorite Korean restaurant,
Han Sung Oak, is not in Annandale, but rather
in Falls Church on the way home from Annandale on
Columbia Pike.  The food there is so yummy!
A day in the great outdoors finished off
with a great meal...what could be better?