The Earth Lab

The Little Free Earth Lab at Waucoma Park is officially open, and we are excited to share our very first monthly theme:

Celebrate Earth! Stability and Change

April is a time of transition—where we can see both the steadiness of natural systems and the subtle (and not-so-subtle) changes happening all around us. It has been so fun to see the daffodils out, Big Leaf maples budding, feeling temperatures shift, and noticing how the landscape at Waucoma reminds us that Earth is constantly balancing continuity and transformation.

To help celebrate this time, the Earth Lab invites you to slow down, reflect, and engage with the natural world in simple but meaningful ways.

Inside the Earth Lab this month, you’ll find a poem to help you reflect on the wonders you have experienced in your day and asks: what is one thing that delighted you?

There are also small pieces of recycled art—magnets and bookmarks—made by students. You’re welcome to take one, and if you’re inspired, you can add something of your own from materials that might have otherwise been thrown away.

If you feel like slowing down a bit more, there are a couple of activities to help you do that too. You can pick up a nature journal and try keeping track of what you notice over the course of the month, or a shorter senses activity to try out—what you see, hear, feel, smell, and what you will remember.

Lyra, an 11th grader,  created a coloring sheet to include this month. We challenge you to find the tree she drew in Waucoma Park, identify it, and add color and signs of spring to it. 

Finally, this month we’re also taking part in Project BudBurst, a citizen science project that tracks how plants change through the seasons. If you’re interested, you can join Project Budburst, find our group monitoring site Waucoma Park Earth Lab, and contribute your own observations. It’s a simple way to be part of something larger, just by paying attention.

Happy Earth Month! We hope you find something here to inspire you