Timberwolf Trail - Week 26 - 2016-17 Edition

Just about forty degrees and a slight drizzle. A perfect day for planting pines.  Well, maybe not perfect, but with all the labor we did, it worked out just fine.

Every 4th grader in Wisconsin is eligible to get a free tree from the Department of Natural Resources. My 4th grade cohorts made the best of this opportunity and graciously donated nearly one hundred trees for our class to plant

We went through a quick tree training course, reviewed the needs of the tree, and modeled how we could plan the trees using some tools, dirt, and compost. The class worked in pairs or trios to plant a few trees. Then, one of the 4th grade cases joined us and it was up to the kindergartners to train them on how to plant trees in a  new area.

Though we got a little wet and chilly, the excitement and action took over and we all worked together to add nearly one hundred white pines to our land. While many of these young trees may not survive to maturity, the learning was in the experience . . . and we learned a great deal.

On the way back inside, I quickly snapped a picture of our impromptu decomposition lesson. With the weather being very refrigerator-like over the last week, not much has changed. The weather is looking milder over the next week, so maybe just maybe our furry friend will look a little different next week.

Timberwolf Trail - Trail Camera Captures- March 2017 Edition

March brought the return of a few trail camera friends and some new bird buddies.  Enjoy!

Robin coming in for a landing

Early Easter Bunny

One Robin scaring away another

Why hello there!

Night Squirrel

Day Squirrel

The Opossum is back

So is the Raccoon.

Plump Robin

Triple Deer

Hard to see, but there's a Turkey on the far right

Woody Woodpecker

Timberwolf Trail - Week 25 - 2016-17 Edition

Next week, the class will be planting trees that were obtained through a special program through Wisconsin's Department of Natural Resources that donates trees to 4th graders across the state. Being a former 4th grade teacher, I reached out to my colleagues and now, we will be working with 4th graders to add trees to our land.

In preparation of this collaborative event, we spent some time reviewing the parts of the tree and talking about what each part did to help the tee survive and thrive. We also talked about the needs every tree has, even creating a shirt, silly song about it.

"Sun , soil, space, water and air,
                              these are the things trees need everywhere."

We chanted this in the classroom and out the doors as we headed to the land to scout potential planting places.

On our way to our first stop near the inside tree, we found a rodent who had passed on to animal heaven. It wouldn't be our last encounter with the circle of life this day.

At the inside tree ( nd the three subsequent stops), we discussed if this location would be a good place to plant our trees. After debating the pros and cons of one area, we moved on to the next.

Our next stop was near one of our restoration  tarps. We then traveled to the "dead alive" tree for our third scouting stop.  Along the way, the circle of life re-emerged as we found the limb of a bunny right in the middle of the trail.

When we got to our fourth stop, we each picked out our own tree to "sing" our tree needs song to it. We then reviewed why talking, or singing, to trees is OK since it provides oxygen and carbon dioxide for both the tree and the talker or singer. While we were picking out our own tree, one of the students came across a dead raccoon. The circle of life was very busy today.

Nature isn't always pretty, and I am hoping we can visit our raccoon over the next few weeks and see the decomposition process in action. Before wrapping up, we went on a quick search for the "alien" we learned about last week: garlic mustard. I was giddy when the kids independently starting chanting "invasive species gotta go."

After all this tree talk, we needed a break with some natural play. The kids climbed trees, went to their "hideouts" and found fungi. A few also made "leprechaun traps" by creating holes that they  covered with leaves and grass.

Of course, before heading back inside for lunch, we tick checked.

Once we came back outside, we were ready to find our planting spot. With our own individual flag, we used our best judgment to pick a spot to plant our trees next week.  Maybe it will be a bit warmer then.

Timberwolf Trail - Week 24 - 2016-17 Edition

With Spring officially here (though today's mid-30's temperatures might have made it seem otherwise), we focused on a sure sign of Spring: Butterflies. We kicked off the day reading Becoming Butterfly by Anne Rockwell, a story that shows how a classroom "raised" monarch butterflies. We will be doing the same soon with Painted Lady butterflies.

We then used old toilet paper rolls and some markers and created a representation of the butterfly life cycle. Then, as we snacked, we watched a time lapse video of a caterpillar changing into a butterfly through our cool science word of the day: metamorphosis.

We headed outside and went to the "inside"tree to find sign of spring while I was on the hunt for "aliens."

We found feathers, green plants, buds, and even a pair of mandibles, but no aliens.

After calling off the search, it was off to the grass class to learn our new insect song, Head, Thorax, Abdomen. After belting out this newest tune, we took the shortcut to the less muddy grass to learn and practice our butterfly life cycle actions. They are:

EGG!

CATERPILLAR!

CHRYSALIS!

BUTTERFLY!

Then it was back to hunt for the alien. Now, I don't mean little green martians from the movies. What I was looking for was little and green and from a faraway place. I was searching for something even worse: garlic mustard. I chatted with the kids about how alien invaders, or invasive species, are selfish plants and/or animals that take the nutrients, water, air, and sunlight that our native plants and animals need. It was our duty to get rid of them, But first, we needed to find them.

Though last year's class were excellent garlic mustard eradicators, we were able to find a few spots where the very small plants were shooting out of the ground. We practiced pulling them out by the base to get the root.

We are excited to search for more. Hopefully, we don't find much, but we now know what to do if we do.