theme: getting to know each other
We braved the wind and cold for our first Wednesday together! To start our morning, we listened to the story, The Mitten by Jan Brett. It is about a seemingly magical mitten that becomes a warm, cozy spot for animals to snuggle. We looked at our own mittens and decided that a bear, badger, owl, fox, mouse, and rabbit would definitely NOT fit inside. You can listen to the story with your naturalist(s) by clicking the video link below.
After story time, we explored the inside of the nature center, pointing out the animals we recognized from the story. We did not find a hedgehog, but we did find an animal that is similar–a porcupine. It sits up high in a tree because its quills are quite sharp! We really enjoyed getting face-to-face with the black bear. This is something we would never do in the wild! We were surprised to discover how pointy its claws are.
Next, it was time to head outside to the pavilion for a snack. We learned to waddle, or take tiny steps, like a penguin across the ice. Inside the nature center, we had discovered a raccoon holding a box of Cracker Jacks (people food). Outside, we talked about how to protect nature by not littering. If we clean up our trash and food from the ground, we can make sure local wildlife does not eat it. We took this very seriously!
When we finished our snacks, we were ready for our adventure together. On our walk, we tiptoed over the patches of ice. It reminded us of the game The Floor Is Lava! We asked questions like, “How does ice form?” and “How does it melt?” Our friends helped answer these questions for us as we made our way to the Playscape. There, we took turns climbing up and down the eagles nest and pretending to be spiders and insects on the spider web. Even Ms. Paige and Ms. Rachel played along!
When the wind almost blew us away, we decided that it was time for a craft. We snuck inside the nature center to look at the animals one more time. Then, we each made our very own nature journals to draw a story about our morning together. We hope that more snow falls or the ice melts so we can explore more of the trails next week!
