At last! The entire reason for making the bench came to fruition this day when the makers of the tiles and their cohorts boarded buses for a science lesson and craft project at the Preserve of Monte Sano. The children gravitated first to the bench on the way to the trail head, then to Princess Okilanna, Little Big Dog. Cathie Mayne of the Trust welcomed the children and helped them visualize the size of the preserve . She assured them that recent rains would offer inspiring views. The science teacher aid reminded the 4th graders of their objective: leaf classification and off we went while the 5th graders made fabric leaves in the pavilion.
It was obvious that few of these children had been on any trail: a passing fly made the girls scream!
We scrambled over a fallen log, admired the rushing water under the bridge, and sloshed through low spots on the trail. A few co-leaders emerged among the few panicked girls and a worried boys. Twenty minutes later, I heard sincere delight in “This is awesome! and a breathless “Look! The city!” through a clearing and finally “Look at me–I’m all muddy!” One or two asked ’so when is lunch?” Quieter thinkers asked “How do you learn the names of the trees? and “What’s a railroad bed?”
After the lunch break, the 5th graders hit the trails and Okie and I hit the road.
