Discovery Camp Nature Hike

by Greg Grant

"Come, let's explore
There's a world to see.
Can anyone tell me
The name of that tree?
It's the tree that we use
To make sasaafrass tea.
It's got three different leaves,
Now, isn't that cool!
No, later today
We will visit the pool.
For now, we're exploring--
Isn't it fun?
Put that stick down!
it's a stick, not a gun.
We don't shoot people here,
Not even in play.b John, give me the stick.
We dont't do things that way.
Here's a tree on the ground
That's recently died.
Let's open it up
And see what's inside.
Come back here, Stacy--
I know that they're bugs.
They aren't gonna bite you.
No, there aren't any slugs.
You don't have to touch them,
You just have to look.
When this here tree died,
These bugs here, they took
This tree for their home
And nature keeps going-- Yes, Tom, it's a plane,
But as I was showing--
Yes, I hear the plane.
Well, it could be a Boeing.
Oh. Your dad is a pilot?
Well, isn't that neat.
Did you ever fly with him
In the pilot's seat?
But as I was saying
how sometimes that life--
Yes, Jan, I see her.
She's the caretaker's wife.
No, I don't know exactly
What she's doing out here.
No, don't yell her name,
There are animals near.
We'll scare them away
If we give her a cheer.
Oh, darn it, where was I?
Oh, life comes from death
In the cycle of nature--
Yeah, what is it, Beth?
But you went after lunch!
I suppose if you must,
But hurry on back.
Say, have we discussed
the way to tell weather
By watching the sky,
Why sometimes it's wet
And sometimes it's dry?
The wispy clouds there
Are often called cirrhus.
They mean it's dry now,
But that rain is right near us,
Late today or tomorrow
Or the day after that
It'll rain for a while--
Hey, give me my hat!
No, I don;t know just why,
I just know that it does.
Ask Bill the Naturalist.
I don't know. Just because.
Well, look, here we are.
We're back at the tents.
Now, wasn't that walk
An hour well spent?
Now it's time for some crafts,
And if you behave
We'll do some neat things
With those leaves that you saved.

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