Tiny Hike Grassroots Co-op

It wasn't a particularly cloudy day, but we did spot a few passing fluffy clouds. To supplement our nature walk we learned two nursery rhymes about clouds. Other than spending time in nature, the most exciting part of this experience was that we got a Smoky The Bear goodie bag from the Park HQ!

 We have two more Tiny Hikes left this month - October 22nd ad 29th. Looking forward to crisp air, sunshine, and learning adventures!

  General Safety Guidelines  Physical safety of participants is a priority. We want to create a safe experience in the outdoor environment. To do so, we follow these general safety guidelines for adults and children: RSVP by letting us know the date you are planning on joining us on a Tiny Hike. It's helpful to include the age of participants so that we can adjust the trail and/or activities. Let someone know where you're going and with whom Stay on the marked trails Have a first aid kit (it doesn't have to be extensive, we keep ours in the car) Clothing (something warm, extra socks, rain gear - we keep ours in the car) Food and water   Insect repellent Sunscreen Note: Information is adapted from US Department of Agriculture Forest Services website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/visit/know-before-you-go Additional Safety Tips:  Your Hike Guide - https://www.yourhikeguide.com/safety-tips-when-hiking-with-children/ Tales of a Mountain Mama - https://talesofamountainmama...

On our Tiny Hike to learn about Trees we talked about what makes a tree (leaves, branches, truck, and roots) and how trees are different in size and type (species). Per request, we played with rocks and used a stick to check the path under the blanket of leaves. It was great to see how critical thinking skills in nature.

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  It's about exploring nature!  Our tiny hikers are curious and adventures children. They lead the nature walks and we make discoveries together. As parents we embrace wild learning that supports their growth and development. Each tiny hike has an overall learning theme, but most of the time we follow along with what is interesting to our tiny hike leaders.

Additional Information About Tiny Hike Meet Ups   What is the age range?    Our current age starts from 2yrs. and up. All school ages are welcome! Both older and younger siblings are welcome . There isn't a specific age requirement. A mixed age group is great because one of the things about the homeschooling approach to education is that learners are not limited to a specific age group.   What is the event cost?    It is free to join a nature walk. It's free to join the group. We try to take the parking cost into consideration. The October nature walks are specific to the free parking lot at the state park (although they have limited parking spaces).   Do I have to RSVP to join in?  Yes! Please let us know that you will be coming on a tiny hike with us. There are a few reasons why we ask you to RSVP that include possible last minute location or time changes, account time for a meet-and-greet for new participants, and/or adjust the theme act...

Upcoming Tiny Hikes dates and learning theme. Please RSVP - Contact Us (see sidebar) or at http://tinyhike.org Thank you! Forest Creatures on Friday Oct. 8th  Trees on Thursday Oct. 14th at 10am Colorful Leaves on Saturday Oct. 16th at 9:30am Clouds on Friday Oct. 22nd at 10am Scavenger Hunt on Friday Oct. 29th at 10 am

The first two times we did not see any chipmunks. However, I'm sure they are there and were busy doing the things that chipmunks do. It is autumn after all. We'll be back on the trail soon enough.     

Well, we didn't make it to the duck pond but we did explore the path. The way the path changed from pine needles, to grass and wildflowers, going over a small bridge and up a rocky path after. There where so many colorful mushrooms! Some I haven't seen before, like a purple one. So I had to look it up, google it and find out more. As I found out the purple mushroom will turn brown as it matures,  it's also not recommended to consume.  

Our first tiny hike was mid September. We saw that the swimming pond that we swam in twice over the summer was in fact drained. This was great because now I know exactly how deep it was. My assumption was that it was far deeper. Also I learned about sand mites. As with toddlers leading the way we had a mini-picnic in the middle of the trail because they insisted on having their snacks and throwing some rocks. Then some continued in their socks. Slowly but surely, that was an opportunity to massage the tiny feet of the tiny hikers on their tiny hike.

  A Tiny Hike is a mini-hike or a nature walk lead by young nature learners. In our case, it's toddlers. They are fun, curious, adventurous, take multiple breaks in the span of three feet, and are super imaginative. As a nature-loving mama I'd like to foster early appreciation and connection to nature. There is so much that I can say about this topic, so I thought I'd blog to share our tiny hike adventures. As well as, have a more reliable online platform than just a social media presence. And hopefully, meet up with other families to share this outdoor learning and discovery, exploratory time.