Imagine a brisk but sunny autumn day. You are sitting on a hay rack being pulled by a small, green, John Deere tractor. You are surrounded by a beautiful lake, herb and flower gardens, and an array of native mid western wildlife. As you ride along a ten foot wide, tree lined path, a great blue heron flies overhead. To your left, in the middle of the lake, are two large swans, one spreading and flapping its wings. A little further down the path on the left, nestled fifteen feet below along the lake shore is a beaver damn. Around the next curve you see turtles, sunning themselves on logs sticking out of the lake. Geese honk and fly overhead, in a broken V formation. You hear someone say they have spotted penguins up ahead, only to find out that they are the bottoms of ducks sticking out of the water as they plunge their heads down, looking for food, or maybe just for fun. As you approach the place where you boarded this open flatbed, the tractor speeds up. You bounce off your seat and you get that funny feeling in the pit of your stomach as the hay rack goes over bumps and a small hill. The British tractor driver and guide pulls to a stop and says it is time to step down. You hate to have this wonderful experience end.
This is just one part of what the first through fourth grade students experienced last Thursday during their trip to Lake Katherine Nature Center in Palos Heights. We also had a talk and demonstration on the water cycle followed by a walk through herb and butterfly gardens.
After returning to Ridge Academy and reflecting on our day at Lake Katherine, we decided that we would like to return again to see nature's beauty during a different season.
