Timberwolf Trail - Trail Camera Captures- October 2017 Edition

Even with construction for a new subdivision in full force just west of our school's trail camera, I was glad to see we still had a fair amount of visitors this month. We even had one new friend never caught before. :)

Bird Battle

Why hello there

Our newest friend!

The end

Timberwolf Trail - Week 9 - 2017-18 Edition

With one project-based unit completed, we didn't waste anytime starting a new one. With the essential question of "Is it better to get what you want or give to those in need?," we kicked off this wants and needs unit with some outdoor observations.

Using donated pumpkins from our wonderfully generous families, we enjoyed decorating and placing pumpkins out on our land to observe decomposition and offer our animal friends a nice treat. The class also learned about endurance and problem-solving to get their pumpkin to our "hidden" forest.

With our pumpkins placed, it was time to start our exciting mouse house activity. Taking our background knowledge and initial work with wants and needs into action, we brainstormed what our animal friends might want and need with winter approaching.

With those ideas in mind, we chose our shoeboxes and headed out to collect items for our houses.

Then, heading back inside, we decorated our mouse houses and used natural supplies we had collected from our land and from our trip to the Retzer Nature Center to enhance our creations.
 We also added donated corn to our boxes to entice the future visitors.

After discussing the potential items we could bring from home to garnish our boxes, we headed out to the woods to scout a location and place our mouse houses.

Now, we play the waiting game. With daily check ins, we will make changes tour supplies, our locations, and maybe even replace our houses all together. This is just the beginning of our wants and needs adventure.

Timberwolf Trail - Week 8 - 2017-18 Edition

Throughout the month of October, the nature kindergartners have been collecting leaves and creating our own leaf pile with the understanding that all that collecting would lead to some leaf fun at our fall celebration.

Celebrating our last round of leaf collecting

After our celebration inside, we took to the trail on this chilly day. We went on a tour of the land stopping at various places to with some family guests joining us, we explore and play.

When we got to the rock pile, one group enjoyed the "rock hole" they have been excavating over the last few weeks, while another group explored a rogue plant that appeared to be growing right out of the rick pile Kids were wondering about how it got there and if it would last. They had great questions and ideas while I covertly listened in on their discussion.

Once in the hidden forest, the class discovered some new areas that were exposed with the recent downfall of leaves. A few boys also found a fallen bird feeder and a n old shepherd's crook and ingeniously found a new way to hand the fallen feeder.

Eventually, we made it to the leaf pile. After explaining the choices of "bombard" or "bury", the class decided to bury me with leaves as a way to celebrate their month-long collection.

I'm under there

Peek  a boo

With one project coming to a close, another one was starting. This week, we started our Wants & Needs unit, a unit that will include the creation and placement of mouse houses on the land. At this point, the class has differentiated between wants and needs and started to list what supplies they will be collecting to create their mouse house, They also started sketching what they think their mouse house will look like.

Once the class made a list, shared their list and potentially added to their list, it was time to start collecting. We headed out to the trail and gathered up materials. Lots of innovative ideas were generated and connected to the needs and wants of the mice that we hope inhabit our soon to be created houses.

"This nut will be a water dish."

"Berries are like candy for mice"

It will be fun to start creating our houses and placing them out on the land. I am also looking forward to placing our trail camera put there to catch our guests in action.

Tyke Hike #45 - Lapham Peak - Trick or Treat on the Trail

Tonight, the Tyke Hike program took on a new adventure: a night hike. Though Mother Nature graciously provided just above freezing temperatures, eighteen hikers braved the chill to enjoy the spookiness of the woods at our inaugural Trick or Treat in the Trail.

Before the hikers arrived, I headed out to scout the trail for a few spots to place some sweet treats. While scouting, I came with in about fifteen yards of a decently sized buck. While I engaged in a staredown with him, I noticed another deer spronk away. Then, glancing around, I found myself in the middle of the largest deer herd I have ever seen. Twenty-seven deer. I am sure there were others I didn't even get a chance to count. I placed my last candy dish down and left the deer to their own devices.

Once the kids arrived, we hit the trail fully equipped with headlamps, flashlights, and glow bracelets. The first few candy stops were "freebies." The last two, the hikers had to "earn" their prize. To get the treat, I requested their scariest faces, their most evil laughs, and their best animal howl.

Though the hike was a bit shorter than usual, all seemed to have a nice time hiking and enjoying those treats. Maybe even the deer. When we got to the place where I had seen the herd just an hour or so before, the candy and dish were missing. I guess everyone (and everything) loves candy.