Kindergarteners, Indiana Nature, and Oak Trees

This morning was very fun with the kindergarteners, as they were excited, well-behaved, and creative. I loved their energy and their enthusiasm to learn about the pond creatures and other various critters that we found. It was great to get to know them better, as we were able to spend more time with them than previous groups. I also had a fantastic time teaching, and felt that I did a pretty good job.

While I was watching the nature video on Indiana I noticed that some of the flowers they showed were orchids. I love orchids, as I have previously studied them during my Study Service Term in Peru. After seeing them in the video, but not specifically talked about, I wanted to learn more about the orchids of Indiana. So, I did some research. I found that Indiana has over 45 types of orchids. The most common of these include the Yellow Lady's Slipper, Pink Lady's Slipper, Showy Lady's Slipper, and the Grass Pink Orchid. I found this to be very interesting as my favorite orchid that I found in Peru looked very similar and when directly translated from Spanish means Queen's Slipper. I believe they may be the same, but am really blown away that they can live in both rainforest and Indiana climates.

Lastly, I have been fondly looking at the oak trees, as they have the most interesting branches. I find it pretty cool that the branches just keep hanging down at the tree's side. I didn't know that this was common, so I drew it to observe it better because I was intrigued.