The snow at Hidden Valley Nature Center was perfect for a January visit by the fourth graders from Wiscasset Elementary School. The students were met by environmental educator Cami Wilbert and they walked to the barn while looking for snowshoe hares planted along the trail.

Then the students hurried to visit their tree friends to check for any changes. One of the students was excited to find a woodpecker had been working on his tree. After the students made lanyards with track identification cards, they were given a challenge. The students were to create a place in the snow that would protect animal “blood” (warm jello) from freezing. Students were particular in finding a spot, they decided how deep they would dig in the snow, and then filled their holes with found materials. Once the holes were ready, they placed cups of the “blood” inside and waited 15 minutes to see what happened to it.

All the students were thrilled to discover the “blood” was still warm and not frozen. On their walk back to the bus, the students were happy to find even more hidden snowshoe hares.