week 4 theme: falling snow
We have had so much fun the past two Mondays! The spring-ish weather seems to avoid us when we are together, but we do not let the cold and clouds stop us from exploring. Last week, we listened to the story, Snow is Falling by Franklyn M. Branley as snow fell all around the Nature Center. We learned that snow helps keep plants and animals warm during winter, even though it feels cold to us! This surprised many of us because we expected the snow to be bad for plants and animals. We know that some animals cannot tolerate the cold and must migrate or hibernate during winter. For those that stay, the snow acts like a blanket, keeping them warm! We also learned that snowflakes have six sides and no two snowflakes are ever the same. But how can someone possibly test this…? It is a mystery! Lastly, we learned that in some places around the world, people might even build their homes–igloos–out of snow. We shared stories of our own snow fort creations before heading outside.
Much to our surprise, there was a ginormous snowball in the field. We never discovered who built it, but we helped them by making it even bigger. The snow was crunchy, which was not the greatest for building snowmen and snowballs, but it was ideal for walking on top of the snow! As we trekked through the Pine Forest, we found the biggest dog tracks we have ever seen. Back at the pavilion, we used foam stickers and markers to draw our favorite winter activities.
week 5 theme: bears + owls
This week, we listened to the story Paws by Kathy Finikakos. It is about a bear named Paws whose father teaches him all about the big wide world. Paws goes in search of his own corner of the world, but comes to realize that he belongs right where he is–with his dad by his side.
We went outside to explore the big wide world around us! We were surprised to see fungi growing on branches and logs during winter. We also found lots of trees that had been gnawed on by rabbits, squirrels, and other small animals. These marks are called browse.
Next, we followed mysterious tracks through the Pine Forest. We guessed that someone had pulled a sled through the trees, but there were no footprints to be seen–it is a mystery for sure! Our legs grew tired as we adventured farther than usual, so we stopped to lay down and make snow angels. On our hike back, we noticed yellow triangles on the trees. Ms. Paige and Ms. Rachel B. explained that these are trail markers. They help us stay on the trail when it is hard to see the path.
Farther down the trail, a few of our friends noticed that someone had carved a heart into the bark of a red pine, which is hurtful to nature. Trees’ bark is like their skin, and it hurts them just like it would hurt us to get a scratch on our arm. We hugged the tree to make it feel better.
Before heading back to the pavilion, we stopped to learn a couple owl facts. 1: Michigan is home to eleven species (different kinds) of owls, 2: A group of owls is called a parliament, and 3: A Barred Owl’s call sounds like “who cooks for you?” To end our morning, we worked together to build a city out of wood blocks. The tallest tower was seven blocks high!
