This letter was written by Bonnie Rembacz regarding her grandson, Hudson. We loved it so much, we had to post it to the blog!
“Walking the trails, the tree house and visiting the birds are my favorite things” Hudson told me recently. Hudson is my four year old grandson and each Wednesday we do something together. I plan some of the activities, but when Hudson is given a choice it will most often be a day at the Ogden Nature Center.
It might be a planned activity like Bizzy Buzzy Bugs or Wild Wednesday, but he is just as happy hanging out at the Nature Center picking and choosing what perks his interest. For example a few weeks ago we were making the trek out to the tree house and he was exploring every step of the way. He saw first hand how those wispy puffs of silk move the seeds around in the wind and how fast and far a grasshopper can really jump. At the old tree house he climbed up while I waited below to see that he safely navigated each step. When he reached the top he informed me that a little owl was looking at him from a small hole in the tree. I climbed up and sure enough there was the little owl with wide eyes looking back at us. Hudson was thrilled with his discovery yet he thought we should leave the little owl alone and go over to the big tree house to eat our lunch.
Another day as we hiked out to the tower at Avocet Pond Hudson’s attention was drawn to a tiny bug that landed on his arm. It walked up and down Hudson’s sleeve and before long became a friend called Alex. Hudson eventually decided that he needed to leave Alex claiming that this is his home. He found a safe place to tuck him then put some water from our thermos on a leaf for Alex. Yes, Hudson is creative, marvels at the diversity of his environment and is gaining a respect and appreciation for nature and the space each living creature deserves.
From Tadpole pond to the beaver lodges, from the bear den to the mouse hole to listening for sounds from the birds and seeing footprints as we trek on the trails Hudson’s senses seem to come alive at the Nature Center. It is truly a place where he can get close to nature to learn, discover and to just be happy.
