Students Write in Journals, Describing Their Observations and Feelings

Students wrote the following notes and journal entries during or after a field trip to the Red Tail Ridge Nature Preserve.

11-2-94

Kendra P.

My Special Place is so very special to me. I try to go to my Special Place every other night. It's so good to get out of the house for a while and have somewhere to go.

Every night when I go to my Special Place I see different things. Some nights when it's really cold I'll go to my Special Place and I see little birds sitting on branches making lots of noises like they're talking to each other.

Each night as I sit in my little chair that Nature gave to the Earth, I talk to the little animals who just might be taking a stroll by my Special Place! I call my Special Place "Nature's Givings to Earth"!!

1-7-95

Amber R.

My Special Place

When I'm in my special place, I can see everywhere in our backyard. As I looked to a corner of our yard, I saw a bush and memories flooded back to me. I saw myself as a 9-year-old touching a beautiful butterfly, talking to it. Telling it to come back when it passed through on its way to migration. It was silly. But back then, I was serious.

When the butterflies passed through here, they would hang from our huge trees in our back yard and would stay there to rest. They would cover the tree and you would look up and see a butterfly tree with butterflies for leaves.

Then when they passed on you would stand still and hundreds of butterflies would fly around at the last second, turning.

My neighbor, Mrs. Waters, found a huge, huge caterpillar that was very different from other caterpillars.

She gave it to me. I put it in a huge jar with leaves and sticks, and it made a cocoon. Then it finally turned into a butterfly and we had to part. When I let it free, it was beautiful. All different colors. Then it flew to a bush. And I told you the rest. You know it probably did come back, but I just didn't see it when I looked. Or maybe it didn't make it back.

2-9-95

Alan D.

Observation

The sun is warm on your face. About 10 to 15 birds are flying over me. The snow is melting to slush. The ice is melting into water. There are not very many animals out and about. Water was running in the ditch. I fell a few times because the snow was soft then hard. About 5 deer walked across the road about 4 minutes ago. The sun is going down and it looks like a picture of pale paint when it had set.

2/25/95

Bonnie S.

It has been very nice out lately. One day it even got up to 65 degrees I think. Today it got up to 54. In Nebraska (Norfolk) it got up to 75.

Inside, my brother's bird can tell how the weather is outside. Because today she was hyper. She kept on chirping and we paid attention to her but she still wouldn't be quiet.

Last time I was out on my way back to my house, I saw a skunk. It walked right in front of me. I stood very still because I didn't want to be sprayed, but it turned out that my dog got sprayed instead of me.

Summer is
Usually hot
Mom lets
Me wear no coat
Even if it is 80, I told mom I was
Right, that summer was here.