Led by their teachers, the school divided into two groups and begin down the trail to read the story page by page. Teacher Ms. Mack read aloud becoming the voice of a vernal pool introducing the young readers to its secrets through the seasons.
“Crunk, crrrruuuuck, CRRRRRUUUUCK!!!” Students skipped down the trail calling out sounds of the Wood frog, after they learned this amphibian is one the first visitors to vernal pools each spring. Each page offered sidebars with fun facts on the inhabitants to vernal pools and students continued to act the motions of hopping frogs or sliding salamanders as we walked the trails.
After the story was over, DCC’s Outreach Director Cathy took the students to a small body of water at the top of the hill. “What are we looking at, is this a mere puddle?” she asked the students. “No!” they shouted. “It is a vernal pool!” Upon closer observation, students peered into the small water body and counted 6 spotted salamander eggs masses.
When asked to share what they enjoyed most about the program, one student exclaimed, “The egg masses, the walk through the woods, EVERYTHING!”
