Come explore the prairie with us!

When children are allowed to explore a prairie firsthand, they can observe the many aspects of this special ecosystem and observe the interactions of the life that is part of it. Each Prairie Explorers event will cover a different aspect of the tallgrass prairie ecosystem and will begin with a scavenger hunt on the trails through the remnant prairie. Children will be free to run along the mowed paths of the prairie and search for items that match a particular theme related to the ecology of the tallgrass prairie.

Young participants might gather items such as leaves from forbs, grasses, and sedges; seed heads of native plants; native insects such as grasshoppers, beetles, caterpillars, and flies; collect soil samples to look for worms and other life; or look for signs of animal activity in the prairie, such as tracks, holes, and tunnels.

After the hunt, we will all adjourn to the shade with an activity, such as:

  • Looking at the parts of the leaves with a magnifying glass and doing a leaf etching
  • Taping seed heads to pieces of paper and outlining them to show the different shapes.
  • Digging up pink clover so the kids can examine the rhizobia nodules on the roots with magnifying glasses.
  • Viewing captured insects in a the “bugnocular” and drawing them.
  • Observing different kinds of roots of native plants by looking at fibrous vs. tap roots, and comparing their height to a to-scale model of big bluestem roots, demonstrating the long root length of native plants.
  • Using pictures to explore the animals that live in a prairie and how they interact.

Families are invited to bring a lunch and stick around after the event for a picnic.

Program dates

Prairie Explorers will be held 10-11:30am on Tue Jun 4, Tue Jun 25, Tues Sep 3, Fri Sep 20, and Tue Oct 15.

You are welcome to attend just one or all five events; each date will feature a different activity as the seasons change in the prairie.

Registration & fees

This is a free event, but registration is required. Please count every member of your party (adults and children) on your registration form. You will need to register separately for each date you’d like to attend.

register

Age range

The activities planned at these events are appropriate for children. Family members of all ages are welcome to attend. Parents are asked to stay with their children and help guide them through our activities.

About our prairie

The prairie at Happy Apple’s Farm, home of Botanical Belonging, is nearly 10 acres of unplowed land that was historically grazed and hayed. Shallow soils occasionally expose the underlying sandstone known as Tonganoxie Sandstone. For more than twelve years, the land has been on a hay-burn-graze rotation to discourage the cool season grasses. We have identified many naturally occurring prairie plants, and the site has since been over-seeded with many native plant species that would have historically been found in this region and adapted to these shallow soils.

What to bring

Dress for the weather and wear sturdy shoes. We recommend sunscreen, bug spray, long pants, a hat, and a water bottle. Bring a sack lunch if you’d like to join us for a picnic after the event.

Location

Happy Apple’s Farm
17524 178th St.
Tonganoxie, KS 66086

Ample parking is available on site.

Support for this program

This program is brought to you at no cost through a grant from the Grassland Heritage Foundation. If you’d like to support more programs like this one, you can make a donation or learn more about partnership and sponsorship opportunities.

About Botanical Belonging

Botanical Belonging Inc., a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, has a vision of reconnecting our communities back to the natural world and the natural systems that support life. It is a place where people can learn about native plants that are the components of prairie ecosystems. It empowers people to create and maintain their own native prairie gardens, and the on-site restored prairie offers opportunities to experience native plants in their original environment and demonstrate the importance of prairie maintenance, including invasive plant identification and mitigation by periodic burning. Botanical Belonging is thrilled to offer opportunities for children to not only get out into nature, but to experience nature on an ecological level in a prairie setting.

Contact

For more information about this program, contact:
Patti Ragsdale
patti@botanicalbelonging.org
(816) 260-6417