Timberwolf Trail - Week 2 - 2018-19 Edition

One of the best thing about nature kindergarten is the flexibility that comes with it. Sometimes Mother Nature throws you curve balls (or puffballs) and you have to roll with it.

We kicked off this week with a special opportunity. A fellow teacher found some amazing puffball mushrooms in her yard, so she knew who to call. not wanting to miss out on an opportunity, we gladly had them donated to our classroom for some scientific observation. The pumpkin-sized one was nice, but as their faces showed, the kids really enjoyed the one that was the size of a bean bag chair.

Learning about and getting experience with mushrooms is OK. Going on a  Fungus Find hike is even better.

No puffballs, but lots of fungi was found. We also had the opportunity to discuss and practice walking off trail.

This week, we also started our first official PBL, or project-based learning unit. While also including plenty of time for place-based opportunities and natural play and exploration, our unit will focus on trees and our essential questions is How do trees make the world a better place for all living things? Of course, before we learn the why, we need to learn the what so the last few days and into the future , we will be learning the ins and outs of trees.

We started by investigating some great picture books and making connections to our own lives. These books taught about the main parts of the tree and the life cycle of a tree in very engaging ways. After reading , we reviewed the parts of a tree in an an action song by singing Leaves, Branches, Trunk, & Roots at various speeds (think Head, Shoulders, Knees, & Toes).

Then, we felt the urge to create and practice the life cycle of a tree with our class-created actions. We also made voices for each stage. Here they are.

Seed (whispered)

Sapling (high-pitched kid voice)

Adult tree (boisterous and deep)

Old Age Tree (quieter and crackly)

Decomposing Dirt (said like Timberrrrrrr)

After briefly looking leaf-dropping and leaf-staying trees, we found our first forest friend, an American Toad.

hen, it was time for our puffball party. While discussing how scientists use their senses to learn about many different topics, we put that into practice by touching, smelling, and observing our mushrooms (no tasting or hearing this time). Then it was time for a few puffball experiments.

After heading outside and making a few predictions about what is inside a puffball, we had to pulverize one to find out.

Since that experiment was more of a short-term one, we decided to do same puffball placement around the hidden forest so that we could observe what happens to them over time.

Every day, we take some time to play as it offers so much in terms of whole child development, especially when in nature. Today, as we entered the trail, we wee greeted by turkeys. We observed and wondered about why they were there, what they were doing, and where they would go next. Fun and lively discussions!

Then, it was off to the natural play area.

We played, climbed, balanced, pulled, and found some new nature friends, including a cicada and a woolly bear caterpillar. While my teacher brain allowed me to spout off some facts about each new friend, the best experience was letting the kids do their own learning through their own interactions.

Our tree study continued as we looked into the main parts of the tree. Starting from the ground (or below the ground) up, we discovered what roots do through a simple straw experiment.

We also talked about trunks and went out to find different sized trunks along the trail.

From small,

to medium (and with a cavity just for fun),

to huge. :)

It's always great seeing another class enjoy nature as well.

Of course, we had to check in on our puffballs. Decomposition has begun!

It is also great to see students enjoy our classroom nature center during their choice time. I can't wait until more of our work and choice time is outside. Plus, being a Friday, our snack story for the day ends up being told by our good friend, Nature Cat.

Only two weeks in and I know this year is going to be special. These kids don't let anything stop, even the ridiculously awful mosquitoes. While many people are holding on to summer for as long as possible, I look forward to Fall for many reasons, but mostly because of the absolutely amazing nature kindergarten adventures ahead.

Timberwolf Trail - Week 1 - 2018-19 Edition

Hard to believe but year 4 of Nature Kindergarten has begun. We spent our first week together getting used to the land and each other.

We might have also stopped to pose along the way.

Our first ever hike took us on a  quick jaunt through the grass class and oak tree classroom on the way to see the rock pile and hidden forest.

Our exploration continued at the fallen tree forest. After some basic tree safety instruction, we enjoyed my famous "5 minute tree assessment."  Giving kids a few areas to climb and a few minutes of time and you see their personalities come to life. You see confidence, teamwork, problem-solving, communication skills and all sorts of other things that help you learn where your kids are and where they need to go.

Hard to see, but we caught a glimpse of a few turkeys on our next adventure. This portion of the trail is in the early stages of a brand new native planting project that will dramatically increase the diversity of our plants.

Lots of rain means lots of fungus. The kids loved the colors!

We enjoyed  time to explore our natural play area. With logs, branches, stumps, and ropes, all sorts of creativity is expressed. This is a great opportunity to really observe the kids in action and see what they can do. You'd be amazed at what they do without any prompting.

Our last stop of the week was at the area we call the inside tree. because the trees are so young and short, we feel like we are inside them. Also, one fallen tree has a hollowed out stump you can literally go inside.

We also visited the spot where our butterfly garden will be planted (by the kindergarteners) in a few weeks)

In Math, we reviewed long and short by collecting sticks. Then, while working with a partner and then a small group, we organized sticks according to length. Great problem solving and teamwork!

Finally, our associate principal came to read with us. Being a butterfly-raiser in her spare time, she chose Mr. McGinty's Monarchs by Linda VanderHeyden. You could tell the kids were intrigued based on how many questions they asked and stories they wanted to share.

Our principal was kind enough to provide us with a chrysalis and we even got to release two recently emerged butterflies. To say the class was excited would be an understatement, They did get to wave goodbye.

The first week was amazing and can be summed up rather easily. On our first hike, we stood in a large field of goldenrod and listened for sounds of nature. A friend interrupted the silence with a short but powerful question.

"Is this all ours?"

Indeed it is.