On Sept. 24 and 25, 2014, 13 second grade elementary school classes, their teachers and parents braved rainy weather for the annual field trip to the Arboretum.

The children participate in three activities: plant rubbing and identification in the nursery, the re-telling of a native legacy story and a role-play tour of the Tribal Life Trail, which highlights how Inuit children might gather supplies for the winter from the plants in local forests, including “granola bars,” rope, fishing poles, “Band-Aids” and mosquito repellent.

This is the fifth year that the ethnobotanical Tribal Life Trail has hosted this educational program as part of the Puget Sound Native Cultures curriculum for the second grade elementary classes of the Tahoma School District.

“It is a wonderful partnership between the Master Gardener program, the Arboretum and the school,” says Master Gardener Ankie Stroes.The Tribal Life Trail is maintained by the Master Gardeners of Washington to educate and inspire people about how the native tribes in Washington used their natural resources.

As a reminder, Maple Valley Make A Difference Day is Saturday, Oct. 25. Visit the organization’s Facebook page at http://on.fb.me/1sIZohS.

Visit lakewildernessarboretum.org, email info@lakewildernessarboretum.org or call (253) 293-5103 to volunteer, donate or become a member.