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Calendar of Events

June 2005
Water, Water Everywhere

"Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts."
Rachel Carson

What to do this month:
Explore with your  Nature Passport at participating Nature Net sites!  It's free!  And fun!

June 12 through 20 is Yahara Lakes Week - visit and enjoy a local lake!

Find out where your drinking water comes from.  You can do it with help from the EPA Kid's website!

Check out the family events at area Nature Net sites!

Tricks of the Trail for Parents:
Be Prepared at Wetlands
Water is refreshing, lovely, and… enticing.  Use extreme caution when exploring a pond or wetland with little ones.  Always keep an extra change of clothing in a sealable plastic bag for those quick-dip emergencies.  Sweat clothes are good because they will warm and dry a chilled explorer (and can be quick pajamas for that exhausting ride home.)

Instant Outdoor Expert:
Area Lakes
It's no surprise the word "Wisconsin" means "gathering of the waters" in the language of Chippewa/Ojibwa/Anishinabe Native Americans. Bordered by two of the Great Lakes and the mighty Mississippi River, Wisconsin certainly is a watery state.  And don't forget those 15,081 bodies of water within our borders - most created thanks to a great sheet of frozen water, the Laurentian ice sheet of the last Ice Age.  Our area lakes, those in Dane County - Mendota, Monona, Waubesa and Kegonsa - were formed when the glacier deposited rocks and sediment (till) over the landscape and dammed up a pre-glacial river valley.  About 12,000 years ago, with the valley partial filled with glacial deposit, the ice sheet melted, leaving behind our chain of beautiful lakes.  Find out more amazing  Wisconsin Water Facts from the Department of Natural Resources!

Eco-Exercise:
Water for Fun & Health
Yikes - it's hot outside, everyone is sweaty, and your legs are stuck to the seat of the car. What do you do? Use your newfound knowledge about water and swim, of course! Race your friends or show off your underwater skills by doing a handstand. But don't forget the safety rules. Make sure there's an adult around to watch you and no dunking! Find a Dane County Park in your neighborhood where you can make a splash! 

When you're exercising in the heat, it is very important to drink lots of water, even if you don't feel thirsty. Hot temperatures make you sweat more when you're exercising, so you must replace the water you lose to prevent heat exhaustion.

Featured Nature Net Site

Nature Craft

Cherokee Marsh
Cherokee Marsh Conservation Park is part of Dane County's largest wetland!  The boardwalk, a popular highlight of Cherokee, leads visitors through cattail marshes, sedge meadows, peat deposits and a fen.  The park contains two observation platforms for wildlife viewing and several belly boards to encourage pond ecosystem exploration.  Other trails wander through prairie restorations, old-field and edge habitats, over a glacial drumlin and to a kettle pond.  Discover a myriad of interrelationships between wetland and upland communities, and realize fascinating wetland values.

PARK HOURS:
4:00 a.m. - dusk

Underwater Viewer
Want to see what's going on in the water without diving in? Make your own underwater viewer! You can make a very simple viewer with materials you likely have at home.  You'll need a half-gallon milk carton, some clear plastic wrap and a rubber band.
Cut both the bottom and the top off the milk carton. Stretch the plastic wrap over the bottom, securing it in place with the rubber band. Lower the viewer into the water, and place your face into the open end.  The underwater area you are viewing will be slightly magnified.  It's just like a diving mask - but you don't have to get your face wet!

If you find in interesting creature, use this key to discover what it is!

(Nature Craft from "The Kid's Nature Book" by Susan Milord)

Learn about other Nature Net sites

Nature Craft Archives

Suggested Reading:

"Salamander Rain: A Lake & Pond Journal" by Kristin Joy Pratt-Serafini (ages 4-8)

"The Great Lakes: Stories from Where We Live" by Paul Mirocha (ages 9-12)

"Life in a Lake" by Melissa Stewart (ages 9-12)

"Paddle to the Sea" by Hollings C. Hollings (ages 9-12)

Find Family events on the Nature Net Calendar of Events