Hello all, We will do the Zoar River Trail in search of fungi this week! It is a mostly shaded trail along the river and to see a waterfall. High of 81 and sunny. It will be warm! Address of parking area is: 328 Great Quarter Rd, Sandy Hook, CT 06482 Bring: water lunch, snacks field notebook/pencil(s) spf and bug spray if needed hat.  camera optional My # is 321-795-8900, text me with any issues https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/connecticut/zoar-river-trail

We will meet at 11am at the main parking lot of Sharon Audubon Center.  325 Cornwall Bridge Rd, Sharon, CT 06069 Pick up will be 230-3pm in same place. Parents, remember to see either Leah or I before you leave.  Bring binoculars if you have them! We will be on the look out for our fall migrating birds. This sanctuary has raptor aviaries that we will visit with many birds of prey to see. We will also explore the pollinator gardens. We will do some light hiking, shelter building possibly, work in our nature journals, and have a picnic lunch. It will be warm, with a high of 80. Bring spf, a hat, and plenty of water as well as the usual stuff like lunch and backpack. Tammy 321-795-8900 https://www.audubon.org/sharon/visit

We will meet at 11am at Macricostas Preserve parking lot,  124 Christian Street, New Preston, CT 0677, Pick up will be t 3pm in same place. Parents, remember to see either Leah or I before you leave.  Bring binoculars if you have them! We will be on the look out for our fall migrating birds. This preserve is a great rest stop to fill up on water and food for birds who travel south for the winter. We will make our way through the brooks and streams of the valley area, identifying plants along the way. Then we will head up to the meadow hay field, visit the brook in the forested area, over the swamp/bog lookout, then finally into the forest again. Afterwards we may explore the community garden area.  Temps will be high of 79ish, partly cloudy, with a chance of a shower. So that rain jacket might come in handy! Keep it in your backpack just in case.

Welcome back and welcome newbies! We will meet Monday 9/8 from 12pm-2pm in the garage of EWOW for an orientation of Outdoor Education this year. Here we will discuss what Outdoor Ed is like, what to bring each week, the rules, and some how-to's. Most of you are old hat but I would still love to see your faces because there will be some new things this year related to drop off. Parents only need to hang out for about 20-30 minutes then you can go grab coffee or something while we chat with the students. If we get our talk over with early, I'll take them down to the field/park area to stretch our legs. Looking forward to another year of exploring with the Ewow students! -Tamara

What: Outdoor Education  We will attempt to hike to the Tunnel. 3.7 miles. We can picnic by the river and if you plan on getting wet, bring a towel! It is supposed to be a gorgeous 70 degree sunny day! When:  11am-3pm Where: Steep Rock Preserve, Washington  2 Tunnel Road, Washington Depot https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/connecticut/pinney-loop-trail What to bring:  • waterproof hiking shoes • water • lunch and snacks • bug spray • field notebook

What: Outdoor Education  When:  11am-3pm Where: Mine Hill Preserve, 6 Mine Hill Road, Roxbury, parking on Mine Hill Road off of Route 67 in Roxbury When you pull onto Mine Hill Road, continue past Mine Hill Distillery, go up the dirt road hill approx. 0.3 miles till you see the parking area for Roxbury Mines on the Right.  Parents are responsible for coordinating transportation.  Photographers, lots of great ruins to photograph here! Bring your cameras! What to bring:  • dress in layers, spring time is warm and cold • wear waterproof boots/shoes • tick/bug repellant spray • pack a lunch and plenty of water • if you have allergies/asthma and are required to carry an epi-pen or inhaler, make sure you have it • your PMA( positive mental attitude), curiosity and open mindedness

What: Outdoor Education  When:  11am-3pm Where:  2 Botsford Hill Rd, Roxbury Park at Orzech Farm parking lot, we will hike and explore the fields and river. Our goal for the day is to observe and document Spring Ephemerals in our field notebooks. Parents are responsible for coordinating transportation.  What to bring:  • dress in layers, spring time is warm and cold • wear waterproof boots/shoes • Field notebook/pencils • Bring towel, and change of clothes in case of river. • pack a lunch and plenty of water • if you have allergies/asthma and are required to carry an epi-pen or inhaler, make sure you have it • your PMA( positive mental attitude), curiosity and open mindedness https://roxburylandtrust.org/preserve/orzech-family-preserve/ https://edgeofthewoodsnursery.com/thinking-of-spring-the-spring-ephemerals

Field Trip: Wonders in the water, spring nature outdoor class with the naturalists at Flanders. Pack lunch and water bottle, rain/muck boots. Dress warm, it will be colder this day. Drop off at 11am, pickup 3pm.  Flanders Nature Center, Woodbury, CT At Sugar House (48 Church Hill Road, Woodbury CT) We will meet at the Sugar House field first at 11am, explore the grounds and have a picnic lunch. Class with Flanders is from 12:15pm-2:15pm. “Wonders in the Water” with insect hunt and pond scoop – focus is on insects. After class is over, we will explore the trails and fields nearby before pickup. Parents are responsible for arranging transportation.

What: Outdoor Education  When:  11am-3pm Where: Bridgewater Recreation Area (2 Sarah Sanford Road East Bridgewater, CT 06752),  Park at dog park area, we will be walking across the street, down the hill to the pond, then through and over the woods. Approx 5 miles total. Weather will supposedly be 60s, cloudy, and windy. Drop off and pick up will be at dog park/pavilion. No restrooms that I'm aware of. Possibly a porta potty but the town doesn't open the public restrooms until official start of summer usually. There is the village store nearby for emergencies.  What to bring:  • dress in layers, spring time is warm and cold • wear waterproof boots/shoes • your nature journal/field notebooks • pack a lunch and plenty of water • if you have allergies/asthma and are required to carry an epi-pen or inhaler, make sure you have it • your PMA( positive mental attitude), curiosity, and open mindedness

Rain Date Alternate Day: Hello all! We are so happy Spring is finally upon us. As we all know, March means unstable weather. For better planning, we prefer to make arrangements 48 hours in advance so everyone has time to prepare for the week. Due to the rain predicted off and on for Monday, we have an alternate itinerary. We will meet at 65 Bridge for various stations: a pancake brunch with coffee/hot cocoa and indoor science based card games. Then we will take a walk down to the library to check out the field guide selection and discuss how to use them/set up a sample journal entry. We will learn about Lewis and Clark's extensive use of field journaling (see links in Google classroom on how to get a library card if you don't have one). We can also make our way to river and/or preserve if the weather allows.  Meet at 65 Bridge St at 11 am.  Pick up at 3pm. Bring:  A packed lunch and water bottle A raincoat and rain boots A library card if you have it Your nature journal and pencils A positive attitude

Monday is supposed to be a lovely low humidity day with a high of 81. Meet at the parking lot of Orzech Preserve in Roxbury. 2 Botsford Hill Road, Roxbury. Drop off 10:30am. Pack lunch and water, towel, wear clothes that can get wet! Water sandals (Teva's, etc) might be welcome. We will do a short hike to see a fall meadow, then down to the Shepaug river for a picnic and rock hunting. Pick up in the parking lot between 2-2:30pm.

Post your ideas for a 5th Friday Field Trip on March 31st!