The Wichita Sonlighters group went to Great Plains Nature Center today. We had a wide age range and about 10 families, so the group was split.
While Nathan took the older kids outside, Patty took the younger kids to a classroom for an up close and personal view of snakes and other reptiles and amphibians. (Later the groups traded places.) The kids got to touch the snakes, salamander, and lizard. Did you know that GPNC has no poisonous snakes because there are none native in this area?
Outside, we looked for wildlife. Our group saw a turtle, a woodpecker, a great blue heron, and many ducks. Everything else has started winter preparations. We also learned how to tell a male fir (or was it spruce?) from a female. The female is the one with the little blue seeds.
Inside, my kids enjoyed the Habitat Hall with its many hands-on displays about the great plains. We also picked up the current free "Faces of the Great Plains" poster of Colorful Songbirds.
My boys had been to the trails before, but never inside. This was my first time there. We will definitely come back again!
