Bird tracks in the snow were just one of the many discoveries the children made on their exploration of the creek.

Throughout the twenty years I have adventured, wondered, and learned with the Millersburg Preschoolers and Alumni Schoolers (kindergarten through third-grade preschool graduates), Cedar Creek has been a favorite place to explore. This past summer, the Alumni Schoolers elected to seriously study the creek and its inhabitants. As always, learning along with the children altered my perspective about this wondrous place. When the summer came to a close, neither the children nor I was ready to give up our regular trips to the creek. My experiences with the older children made me ponder what it would be like to purposefully explore the creek on a regular basis with the preschoolers. How would the creek change with the seasons? Would it be worth braving the weather to see the creek during winter? What would we explore? Would preschoolers really be interested in more than playing in the water? Would parents support and sponsor such an endeavor? With these questions, my yearly research project,was born, and the adventure of Cedar Creek continued.

In preparation for the study, my student teachers and I created journals for each of the children to use to document learning through sketches, photographs, and writings. Before our first trip to the creek, the children sketched what they thought they would encounter there. Some of their ideas included whales, water, frogs, rocks, big fish, and dirt. We also discussed equipment that might assist us in our explorations. We decided upon magnifying glasses, a flower press, aquarium nets, buckets, insect boxes, a pool thermometer, and several field guides.

Finally the big day arrived. The late September weather was already cool, but the children were enthusiastic. We discussed safety rules for wading in the creek, lathered on the sunscreen and bug spray, and headed out. The water was a nippy fifty-six degrees, but the children were undaunted. They caught frogs galore. Some of them created frog habitats on the spot. Some picked and pressed wildflowers. One child caught a crawdad, and another caught a dragonfly nymph. After collecting for about an hour, we settled at our picnic area and the children sketched their findings. Following our detailed observations, all of the creatures were released back into the creek.

Back in the classroom, I decided to present the children with a list of their predictions, photographs of their discoveries, and an experience chart of their observations. Each child was provided an envelope that included all of these materials and his or her sketches. During self-selected time, children were invited to glue their artifacts into their journals and to write about them. After the first few children got started, the rest of the children descended on the area and enthusiastically began their work. Everyone wrote in their journals and glued in their artifacts. Most read their work to a parent at the end of the day. It was obvious how proud the children were of their journals and their discoveries.

A young nature explorer gazes through a frozen piece of Cedar Creek.

Our next trip to the creek was in early November. Again it was unseasonably cold, and it had rained, so this time we had to walk through the woods into the picnic area to get to the creek. I went early that morning to scout the site and discovered a number of tracks along the path. Consequently I added plaster of paris and bottled water to our equipment. The children discovered dog, deer, and raccoon tracks along the trail. We mixed up plaster and poured it in the tracks to create molds that we could examine more closely back in the classroom. We also noticed all of the berries on the autumn olive trees and speculated about which animals might eat them. While mixing the plaster and examining the berries, we heard wild turkeys gobbling in the woods!

Anticipation was high as we approached the creek. Changes in the water level were immediately apparent. The creek was too deep and fast for us to wade or even to measure the temperature. The children noticed all the leaves on the ground and the lack of wildflowers. We listened to the wind and rushing water. This time it was too cold to sketch outside, so we loaded into the cars and headed back to school.

Again, the children's sketches and notes of what we had seen were very descriptive. Many drew pictures of the berries, scat, and tracks. The children were intrigued with the turkey sounds. Jim Arnosky's book All about Turkeys provided them with a great deal of information about turkeys and their habits. In addition we sang "I'm a Very Fine Turkey," read See How the Turkey Grows, examined turkey feet, and created turkey tracks in clay. All of their interest in turkeys gave the children a whole new perspective on Thanksgiving dinner.

December brought cold and wind. This trip to the creek included the discovery of many more animal signs. We dissected some deer scat with a stick and discovered it was full of autumn olive berry seeds. The children noticed that all of the berries were gone from the trees and discussed the many animals that must have eaten them. We even discovered an area of flattened grass where a deer had bedded down for the night. There was thick ice on one of the puddles, and the children tried looking through pieces of it, comparing it to windows. The creek was again too high for wading but we did find the temperature was a cold forty degrees.

Back in the classroom we read books about animal tracks, matched pictures of animals with their tracks, printed with track stamps, and played animal-track memory with photographs of the tracks we had seen on trips to the creek.

Our latest trip to the creek was in January, during very cold weather, following a snow. This trip was especially exciting because tracks we hadn't seen before were visible in the snow. There were tracks of small birds, deer, dogs, and rabbits. Our biggest discovery was when we approached the hill down to the creek and discovered turkey tracks leading all the way to the edge of the creek bank! The water was so cold it wouldn't even register on our thermometer! The children’s sketches after this creek trip were even more specific and refined. They were beginning to really observe the details of their surroundings and to share their observations and understandings through their sketches.

When I reflect on these experiences, I wonder why I questioned what the preschoolers could gain from routine trips to the creek. They are discovering how to observe nature closely and seriously and are gaining a respect and appreciation for the wildlife in our area. The children are developing positive attitudes about this natural resource. They are learning many facts about the creek and the natural resources associated with it. Although I have lived near this creek for over twenty years, I'm learning right along with them. Cedar Creek has proved to be a wondrous place of endless opportunities for exploration. I can hardly wait to see what treasures are in store for us next month on the creek!

Sherri Griffin, PhD, is a professor of early childhood education at Central Methodist University and a teacher/director at Millersburg Preschool and Alumni School, both in central Missouri. Her first book My Big World of Wonder: Activities for Learning about Nature and Using Natural Resources Wisely, is available from Redleaf Press.