Today the Beavers went on an adventure to the Collse Watermill in Nuenen. This watermill was painted by Van Gogh in 1884. The Beavers first received a guided tour through nature. Beavers also live in the landscape around the watermill. We looked at all the signs of beaver activity and received an explanation of how beavers survive in this environment.

After that, the Beavers played a game where they could run a lot, called “Dutch Lions.” One player is the tagger and stands in the middle. When the tagger calls out “Dutch Lions,” all the other players must run to the other side without being tagged. If a player does get tagged, they join in the other tagger and have to tag the other players.

After this energetic game, we continued our tour. Inside the mill, we saw what the water wheel powered. One side of the mill produced oil for oil paint. The Beavers were allowed to touch and smell the materials and also examine the final product. On the other side of the mill, flour was produced. The Beavers, in pairs, took turns climbing the stairs to watch the grain being milled.

After learning everything about the watermill, the Beavers went to a large playground. There, they spent the rest of the morning jumping on a big bouncy castle.