Today we went to Boyd HIll Nature Park for a homeschool field trip. I made a bunch of new friends and learned a lot about nature and animals. The guide showed us a few birds nests.
Next the guide pulled out a huge box and has us guess what was in it. I guessed a turtle but she ignored me because I didn’t raise my hand. No one else guessed a turtle. When she finally showed everyone, a buzz overcame the group in my defense that I had guess turtle. Trying to teach homeschoolers to raise their hands is not something easy. It is not a skill we practice in our home school.
Finally we got to see a box turtle. When asked why it was called a box turtle I knew the answer (and raised my hand this time). It is a box turtle because it can close its front and back door if threatened. It makes a nice tightly sealed box.
The last animal was a red rat snake. The guide asked if anyone knew another name for it. I raised my hand again and said “Elaphe guttata guttata “. That turned a lot of heads. What 5 year old knows the scientific classification of a snake! Mommy just laughed not quite sure where I picked that one up. Uncle Matt, was it you!? The guide was actually looking for the answer “corn snake”. Mommy got a high five from another mom for teaching me so well. Mommy said she couldn’t take credit for that one!
So smart!
I made a new friend and we held hands the entire time on our hike.
We saw gopher tortoise holes, poison ivy, lots of birds and a ton of other growing nature. I managed to somehow get caught in the “hitchhikers” and get them all over my shirt. Mommy made me go shirtless while she fixed up my shirt.
We saw some tiny fish in the pond.
Getting ready to visit the birds of prey. (note: still holding hands with my new pal).
I had a great time. I was full of quick wit and sarcasm the entire trip. I had Mommy in stitches. Every minute or so I would ask my new friend what his name was because I kept forgetting. Oddly every minute he would ask my name because he couldn’t remember it. I am just NOT good with names. Mommy told my new friend to just call me “B”. I corrected Mommy and told her “Emmerson will never learn to say my name if we don’t say it correctly”. Mommy sighed… she has been CONSTANTLY telling me to speak like a 5 year old and not a baby so Emmerson learns to speak better.