theme: winter wildlife
We listened to a crowd favorite, Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner this morning. You can watch/listen to the animated version of the story with your naturalist(s) by clicking the video link below.
We learned that some animals live in a special world beneath the snow–one full of tunnels and burrows and that the snow acts like a blanket to keep the animals warm. We discovered that some small animals can be beneath our feet, under the snow, as we play on top! We also noticed that the fox found its dinner by listening to a mouse moving below the snow. To the fox, it was invisible, so we were impressed. In the story, a snowshoe hare sat below a tree just like we did last week on the trail! Our friends talked about the different animal tracks we have seen around town and decided rabbit tracks are pretty common. We passed around a snowshoe hare during circle time and came to a realization–the snowshoe hare can be invisible, too, with its white fur against the snow!
Outside, we investigated more animal furs and skulls while enjoying the sunshine. Ms. Paige gave us clues about the different animals as she passed the items out. We worked together to identify the animals based on the clues–coyote, fox, raccoon, and black bear. We also got to pass around a deer antler.
When it was time to adventure, we noticed the snow was perfect for making snowballs. A couple friends discovered something neat about the snow. Where the sun was shining, the snow could not support our weight, yet in the trees where there were shadows, it did support our weight. We decided that shadows keep the snow cold, whereas the sun warms it up, causing it to melt. We were not the only ones enjoying the sunshine today–a bald eagle flew over the Nature Center! It was very exciting to see.
To end our morning together, we spent some time sledding down the Nature Playscape tunnel! We took turns, shared our sleds, and had so much fun! (So much so that we ran out of time to do our craft, but there is always next time).
