Kathy Boys, Class of 2023
One never knows what we will encounter when we take our Eco Explorers … Girl Scouts grades k-12 … out on a nature adventure. This fall we observed some surprises like snakes, owls, and a beaver lodge. We also learned that coyotes, in turn, were observing us on a night hike! We definitely got our lessons in poison ivy. Any day, even while encountering cold and rain, or a sweltering humid scorcher, is a nature experience. This is the joy of working with Girl Scouts and immersing them in nature. Those Wow! and Aha! moments make it so rewarding. The girls and their adults get to see and hear, and even get to touch and smell (even taste!) so many things they’ve never experienced before in nature. That is what makes Blackland Prairie Texas Master Naturalists guides so important to this Eco Explorer endeavor.
Both ‘learning by doing’ and ‘cooperative learning’ methods have always been fundamental to the Girl Scout movement. We know that our youth, and their parents, need to get outside and explore. They need to be guided on what they are seeing, and understand its importance to our planet … which we Master Naturalists accomplish while our guests are thinking that they are just earning an outdoor badge … be it Shapes in Nature, Outdoor Art Explorer, Eco Trekker, Hiker, or Bugs badges. We do this via scavenger hunts; looking for animal homes; building edible fire; giving them hand lenses; catching bugs to observe up close; ‘building’ a spider web; and, yes, tasting sumac berries. We accomplish most of this while walking in, and engaging with, the local natural environment, and we make it as fun and hands-on as possible.
This fall girls learned about the difference between invasives, natives and non-native plants; learned about the monarch migration and about gall nurseries; learned about seeing nature up close and the hidden designs and patterns in nature; learned about medicinal uses of native flowers and the native prairie flowers and grasses; learned about the different trees in north Texas and their uses (including that soapberries make real soap, and the many uses of the Osage Orange); learned about how animals use their senses at night, and about the night sky; learned about being prepared for a hike and how to read a trail map; learned about humans’ impact on the environment, including light pollution, correct fire building practices, trash in waterways, habitat conservation; and so much more. We know that they learned these things, because they said so on evaluation forms. They love the program, and our guides. Events have been filling up in mere hours after opening registrations (some less than that!). We are showing girls and their adults how to observe, appreciate, and become good stewards of our environment, no matter where life takes them. This endeavor is so important, and we think that it will have a ripple effect. Come join the fun next time you see a call for BPTMN volunteers for an Eco Explorers event. Experience for yourself the magic of seeing youth (and adults) truly experience nature for the first time. We’ll get them outside, you can help ice the cake!
