I have a mental exercise that i do on occasion.  It is one of those few things that the more I practice and the older I get the worse off I am at performing the exercise.  Basically, I make an effort to put myself in a situation, normally a familiar one and then I try to see it anew.  I work at seeing a thing or situation as a child might see it for the first time.  Failing at this, I’m likely to grab a kid and question them until their eyes glaze over.  The jealousy I have for the wonder of a child is unending.  Anyway, in working on projects associated with the White Oak Nature Center, it occurred to me that a child, on entering the nature center, may have a lot of questions.  Questions not easily answered by her teacher, at least not until such time as the teacher obtains the status of Interpretative Guide.  My thought is, that on walking up to the nature center from the familiar school grounds, a city kid may be taken back by the very sight of the woods about to be entered.   It is my intention to blog for the next year or so providing information to diminish any anxiety at the point of entry, explain a bit about the woods, teach a bit about the science of taxonomy, and at the same time maybe create an interpretative guide or two..  To this end I provide this first bit of information.