We Attended a Black Bear Festival in Umatilla, Florida

Oct 19, 2013



We attended a black bear festival in Umatilla, Florida.

Attending the Florida Black Bear & Wildlife Conservation Festival. Alexis wasn't able to go due to a cold with sinus infection, but Lorelai and I attended. We had such a good time learning about the wildlife here in the Ocala National Forest. Lorelai is such a naturalist and eco-aware person (like her mama!). Every booth and activity made her happy because the mission was to "keep the earth healthy", as she says. 


Pictures from the bear and wildlife festival last weekend. 


Lorelai with Smokey Bear and making a bear-face fan to cool herself.

Creating a bracelet based upon the water cycle

This activity taught the life cycle (seasons) of a Florida black bear's life. In these photos, she was gathering berries (summer), frogs (late summer), acorns (fall) and then entering her den for hibernation.

Photo 1: Stenciling the paw print of a Florida panther onto a piece of wood.
Photo 2: Showing off her creation.

Wildlife we were able to see, pet and learn about: Possum, Gator, Snake


Fishing trash out of the pond.

The girl loves archery. Can you tell? 


Subscribe now to see more posts like this one.

7 comments

  1. I have a child who loves archery, too! So many fun things going on in your homeschool, Michelle! Thanks for linking with Collage Friday!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for hosting Collage Friday, Mary! I love it!

      Delete
  2. My girls also don't get up at similar times any more. I've shifted our day so the early work is independent. My early riser gets that stuff done at our typical time while my sleeper gets that done whenever she can. I still teach math and history together, so my sleeper has to be ready to school by noon when we start history. We're still working out some kinks, but they are tiny and it's working pretty well for us.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know the feeling. Sounds like you're working it out, too.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous10/20/2013

    Thanks for visiting A Nurse's Wildflowers! I love your site…your "holistic" name peaked my interest….I'm gonna have to cruise around and check out your place! I didn't know Florida had bears and panthers…for real? Coming from the pac west and I guess we think of florida as swamps and alligators. ;) My oldest has been asking me to do archery for a while. Do you have any good suggestions for bows that won't cost an arm and a leg?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OH we definitely have swamps and gators too. I live in the Ocala National Forest (see my other blog at http://planet-florida.blogspot.com) which is bear country. Our bears are a bit different than the other bears in the country but they are definitely here. And yes, we have panthers. Both are endangered species down here.

      I would love to find bows that don't cost an arm and a leg. I've been told the best ones are Diamond bows because they're adjustable. They cost $350 but "grow" with the child.

      Delete
  4. The black bear festival sounds like fun! I hope the new scheduling and curriculum works well!

    ReplyDelete

Join the conversation!