I am not very good about taking time off of work in order to participate in the various school outings/parties/daily need of parental help.  I do try to do it at least a few times a year for each kid, though.  This was one of those times, though a bit last minute.  I told the teacher I was coming the day before and that seemed to work out pretty well.  There were so many parents that volunteered that it was a 1:2 parent/kid ratio.  I had even met the other little girl assigned to me with Anya, as she had invited Anya to her birthday party earlier in the school year.

The field trip took us to a local nature area.  They have a building with some exhibits in it and volunteers to help the kids learn a bit about the local wildlife and acquatic life in the ponds.  We took the kids to the ponds and they were equiped with little nets to scoop out “stuff” from the pond.  The stuff was mostly minnows and bug larvae.  It was pretty fun for the kids and one of the nicer days we’ve had in a few weeks.  At least it was sunny, if not overly warm.

When we take the kids on walks around our lake, we always look for animals and talk about them.  This field trip only had the added bonus of seeing bug larvae.  We usually see more animals on our walks.  I wonder if a lot of the kids don’t really have that opportunity.  Things like walking around a park are free and easy to do with the kids.  Our city has a lot of parks and walking paths and lakes.  I know a lot of places aren’t like that, though. 

Brian and I grew up on farms, out in the country, with a lot of exploration into the ecology and biology of the land.  I know I spent a lot of time in the woods, and playing in the water in the ponds.  We were always looking out for animals, especially the elusive ones like beavers and deer.  I used to collect toads and snakes.  No screaming about snakes over here. 😉

Now, I really want to go for a walk.

Unfortunately….