Minding their own business, several baby garter snakes seemed to writhe nervously as the roof of their home was gently rolled away.
Found under a log, mere steps onto a trail at Belmont’s Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, the tiny reptiles wowed a group of curious children. The young nature explorers came prepared, wearing rain boots to tromp through grass and mud while taking part in Half-Days at Habitat,” one of many activities on offer at the Mass Audubon property.
“Nowadays, kids are more likely to spend after-school time inside and on screens, which provides constant, super-heightened stimulation,” said education coordinator Paul Kelley. “This can diminish their natural sense of wonder. Physically getting their hands dirty, balancing on a rock, and using their senses to observe what is around them is really beneficial for motor skills and cognitive development.”
Kelley led the group of 5- to 8-year-olds along a relatively level pathway through tree-shaded woods and past a poison-ivy-lined meadow.
Paul Kelley, education coordinator at the Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary in Belmont, shows kids how to use a net to skim the mud at Turtle Pond to find bugs and other creatures during a recent Half-Days at Habitat program. [Julie M. Cohen/Belmont Voice] 
Children walk through a meadow, carefully avoiding poison ivy, during a recent program at the Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary in Belmont, led by Education Coordinator Paul Kelley. [Julie M. Cohen/Belmont Voice] 
Paul Kelley, education coordinator at the Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary in Belmont, and Krish, 6, recently examined specimens from Turtle Pond during a Half-Days at Habitat program. [Julie M. Cohen/Belmont Voice] 
Children found baby garter snakes under a log at the Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary in Belmont during a recent program. [Julie M.Cohen/Belmont Voice] 
Paul Kelley, education coordinator at the Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary in Belmont, held a worm children found during a recent program. [Julie M. Cohen/Belmont Voice] 
Paul Kelley, education coordinator at the Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary in Belmont, let a harvestman/daddy long-legs crawl along his arm during a recent children’s program. [Julie M. Cohen/Belmont Voice] 
Paul Kelley, education coordinator at the Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary in Belmont, “un-scrolls” a piece of birch bark found submerged in Turtle Pond during a recent children’s program. 
Krish, 6, recently looked through images of creatures that can be found at Turtle Pond at the Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary in Belmont, during a “ponding” program. [Julie M. Cohen/Belmont Voice]
“What kind of animals do we find in the forest?” Kelley asked the group of boisterous, eager youngsters. Since they’d already found snakes, worms, and daddy long-legs/harvestmen, they shouted out the names of other local fauna.
However, the small troop’s focus was on the picturesque Turtle Pond, where they were excited to learn how to go “ponding.”
The still, murky water held countless creatures, and the children were eager to begin their exploration. Kelley taught them how to gently skim the pond’s surface and mud with small nets and patiently sift through each scoop for creepy crawlies.
Several found hellgrammites, the ominously named dobsonfly larvae; backswimmers that hunt upside down; crayfish exoskeletons; snail shells; and a lot of mud. After placing their discoveries into a small basin filled with pond water, Kelley provided them with information and answered their questions. The children squatted and peered into the container filled with their wet, slimy treasures.
“This was super cool,” exclaimed one child as he scampered near the pond.
“Kids have an innate sense of wonder for nature that is amazing to witness,” said Kelley.
Asked what he hoped the children would gain after participating in the Half-Day at Habitat activity, Kelley recalled one of his favorite childhood memories. He and his friends would run around in the woods behind their homes playing until the sun set.
“I hope the kids in this program can get a similar experience, learning nature is a place to explore and take risks, and at the same time is a safe place where they fall in love with,” he said.
To learn more about the Half-Days at Habitat program and other activities at the Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary in Belmont, visit massaudubon.org/places-to-explore/wildlife-sanctuaries/habitat/programs-activitie .
