P and K and I spent the day at Rum Island, a natural spring along the Santa Fe river. On the way we saw a mother raccoon with her litter of four babies, and discussed springtime and how most animals have their children at this time. We also saw a group of turkey vultures eating at a busy intersection and discussed how they are carrion eaters.
At the spring, we discussed how the spring is fed by fresh water and what causes tannin in the river that makes it so dark. We explored the reeds and grasses along the edge and looked at the different types of fish and dragonflies. We saw several different kinds of boats and discussed how they move through the water. Later we walked through the woods and saw a rattlesnake, and discussed how to identify dangerous snakes and how to avoid them.
Along the way home he spotted the smoke cloud from the Tyler Grade fire and talked about how to identify smoke from a forest fire and various ways of containing such a fire.
Once we got home we practiced how to spell kayak and canoe, and discussed the meaning of a palindrome.
