How is it that I had never visited gorgeous little Grafton Vermont, in my almost 20 years of living here?I stepped out of the car and heard one of my favorite sounds…a red winged blackbird calling in the sun. Konk-la-ree! The sun beamed down on the white, quintessential Vermont buildings. I walked toward the The Nature Museum, and stopped at the entrance. This place is straight out of a nature lover’s dream.

Quickly I met the executive director, Carrie King, and naturalists Jay and Zack. Carrie gave me a tour of this incredible little museum, packed with treasures from all over Vermont, of all varieties, including tiny fairy villages, a long extinct passenger pigeon, interactive exhibits, and a hive of buzzing bees. If you haven’t been to this museum, I highly recommend a visit, coupled with a meal in one of the sweet little eateries in town.

We had a small but mighty group for the presentation and ending up discussing a wide range of citizen science initiatives, how to use literature as a springboard for project based learning, and I got to hug a model of a mole salamander. What more could I ask for?

Executive Director Carrie King and I, happily holding a salamander model together!

Thanks to The Nature Museum for having me and I hope to visit again soon!