Today in Piney Ridge, Lilly meets with her new nighttime friends and play some hide and seek. The friends find out the story of the horned bird is real.

Parents, feel free to engage with your kiddos using some pf the prompts from below.

• How did the friends find each other in the dark?
  • Nocturnal creatures have good nighttime vision as well as having much better hearing and being more sensitive to movement.
• Which of the friends are predators?
  • Lilly and Tek
    • Lilly hunts small animals like mice, lizards, and small birds
    • Tek hunts the same animals as Lilly but also slightly bigger animals like Lilly, Rico, and Posie. They even hunt skunks and rabbits.
• How does Tek fly silently?
  • He has small, specialized fluffy feathers called down feathers that muffle sounds. His wings are extra big so he doesn’t have to flap as much as most birds and can even fly slower.
• Do you think the friends are good hiders?
  • There fur are the right shades to blend in with bushes, trees, and shadows. They have a natural camouflage

For an activity, right before bedtime, as it is getting darker, play a game of hide and seek without turning on lights. Have your child rely on their sense of hearing to find you. Or put on some perfume and they can use the scent to find you. Have your child put on pajamas that is a close match to your couches, pillows, or sheets and have them “blend in” like the friends. The running around and moving things around to make a hiding place would be good “big body play” that will help your child regulate their energy and emotions and get them ready for bed.

Patreon: https://patreon.com/PineyRidge

Today in Piney Ridge, Lilly meets many new friends who show her around the meadow at night. She warns her friends of a mysterious horned bird who can snatch them up.

Parents, feel free to engage with your kiddos using some pf the prompts from below.

• Where do you think the nighttime friends live?
  • Rico - A hollow log
  • Posie - A burrow
  • Chordeiles - On tree branches and on the ground
  • Sally – Under logs, rocks, and moss or in small abandoned burrows
• What kind of the nighttime friend sounds the cutest?
• What kind of animal do you think the horned bird is?
  • Listen to the episode “Hide and Seek In The Dark” for the answer
• What is nocturnal? Crepuscular? Diurnal?
  • Nocturnal – active at night
  • Crepuscular – most active during sunrise and sunset
  • Diurnal – active during the day

For an activity, go outside and look amongst the trees. Try to see if you can find birds’ nests and dreys. Dreys look like an enclosed ball while the nest looks more like a bowl.

Also go out to your nearest forested park and look along shaded damp areas to find salamanders. They may be under decaying logs and near creek beds. Just be sure to be aware of your surroundings and put everything back where you found it.

Patreon: https://patreon.com/PineyRidge

Today in Piney Ridge, Lilly meets a stranger and is invited out for lunch.

Parents, feel free to engage with your kiddos using some of the prompts from below.

• Where do you think Puma lives and sleeps?
  • Very steep and rocky areas, with a lot of bush’s for them to hide
  • They will sleep anywhere from on trees, under rock ledges, or even in caves. They will sleep somewhere new every few nights.
• What kind of food does Puma eat?
  • Other animals smaller than them, deer’s are their favorite
• Why did Humpy return to area where he was born?
  • Humpback/Pink salmon return to the area where they were born to lay eggs after 18 months in the ocean
• Does Bev live in her dam?
  • No, beavers have “lodges” which is a pile of sticks, mud, and leaves that forms a dome where the beavers sleep and store food. Beavers build dams to create a pond where the water is still or slow moving so they can create their lodge safely.
• Why was Dougie opening a pinecone?
  • To get to the seeds hidden with the hard outer folds (called scales)

For an activity, find brown and tightly closed pinecones. Put them in a warm dry area until the cone dry’s out and open naturally. Once it is open, turn the cone upside down and shake it or tap it until the seeds fall out. You can also gently peel back the scales and push out the seeds with a finger. After you get the seeds out you can place them in a cup of water, any seeds that sink to the bottom can be planted.

DO NOT EAT THESE SINCE MAY SPECIES OF PINE TREES CAN BE TOXIC

To plant your seeds, place them a damp paper towel inside a sealed plastic bag in the back of your fridge from 30 to 90 days. Afterwards place in small pot with potting mix and place the seed ¼” deep into the soil. Place the pot in a warm and sunny location and keep moist. A seedling will emerge within 2 to 4 weeks.

Patreon: https://patreon.com/PineyRidge