The Alligator Lizards took full advantage of a pleasant fall day to explore some out-of-the-way corners at one of our local favorites: Whatcom Falls Park. Most of the boys have been to this park a number of times, but none of them had seen some of the spots we stopped along the way.
After holding our opening circle near the playground, we headed down the trail to check out the fish hatchery. Right now, all the pens are holding rainbow trout that look like they're about ready to be released. We had a chance to chat a little bit about fish life cycles and how hatcheries play a role in supporting populations of fish in certain waters.
Rolling on from the hatchery, we headed up into the woods for some exploration. The boys had a great time ranging around the area and they all did a great job of staying within hearing range of the mentors. The "crow call" is a critical part of our safety culture. Upon hearing it, the Explorers need to stop whatever they're doing and come back to the mentors. The Alligator Lizards showed us they had that rule figured out, which made the mentors feel much more confident about their awareness.
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| Jonah makes a new friend...and names him Wilbert. Wilbert is a Western Hemlock who grew up on top of a stump that has rotted away from beneath. |
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| The boys found some beaver sign down by the pond. |
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| Jonah introduces Huck to the joys of hanging out with Wilbert. |
Our next stop was an area with a number of fallen trees. The Explorers had a ball climbing around, playing some games of "Hide", and learning a bit more about native plants with a game of "Nature Scavenger Hunt".
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| Most of our hike was close to Whatcom Creek. |
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| Advanced balance beam techniques. |
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| We're about to reveal the scavenger hunt plant parts. |
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| Quote of the day, "It's like a huge playground!" |
Our last stop was a small open field that was the perfect size for some field games. The boys decided they wanted to play "Fox Tails" and "Fire in the Forest". Fox tails is similar to tag, but you had to pull a bandana out of another person's pocket to get them out. Fire in the Forest is also tag-based, but pits one person ("The Cougar") against everyone else. As peoples' chosen animal type is called out, they have to try to run past the cougar without being tagged. In addition to having fun, these games are helping the boys learn the basics around playing with honor, resolving conflicts, and game strategy.
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| Setting up the ground rules for games. |
The Alligator Lizards and their mentors had a great time on this outing. As a group, we're already beginning to see some cohesiveness in their interactions, which is great! Only three outings into their first season together and they already know each other's names, play well together as a group, and are picking up many of the basic Wild Whatcom norms. We're looking forward to the next time to keep building on this strong foundation!
Be sure to check out the rest of the photos from our outing
here!
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