creek day

Creek days are so wonderful. We learn so many things, have so much fun, and enjoy such a more serene atmosphere than the typical playground with lots of play "equipment". Who needs the equipment when we have rocks to climb on, bubbly little waterfalls to listen to, and all sorts of creatures to enjoy and learn about?

When we first got to the creek today, our friend Carrie was moving big rocks around to create better water flow. Last Summer when the creek flooded, some of the big rocks that had been brought in by the park service were washed down into the creek. We moved some stuff around so that the water could flow a little better, and everything was prettier when we finished with it, too. We could work on it for a few more weeks probably, but we made a good start.

The older kids helped with the rock project for quite some time while the little ones sailed azalea boats down the creek.



Moving the rocks turned out to be a great way to find all sorts of little animals. We found a salamander that zipped through the water at lightning speed, a crawdad, lots of bug larvae, a ring snake, and lots of toads!




We also found a nice patch of wood sorrel.


And this strange little mystery creature...

And a cute little mushroom growing from a piece of bark...


Ofcourse, we also played in the creek a bunch, too. Clover loves resting in these tree roots and watching everything.