Boyd Hill Nature Park

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.

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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.

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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!

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So smart!

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I made a new friend and we held hands the entire time on our hike.

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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.

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We saw some tiny fish in the pond.

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Getting ready to visit the birds of prey. (note: still holding hands with my new pal).

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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.

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