April Town Forest Walk

Today was a beautiful day for a Town Forest Walk! Though a bit brisk for end of April initially, the weather was sunny and soon warmed up to showcase a pleasant springtime in the woods! And while our eager wildlife watchers were seeing possible somethings out of the corner of every eye, we did not get to spy a swan, a frog or a turtle on this walk. (One group did see a swan at the very end of the walk after thinking it was just a white rock…)We did see mallard ducks, red-winged blackbirds, and even two snakes! We also checked in on the progress of the beaver dam which does look to have grown since our last walk. 

Also in full growth today were the fiddle heads of ferns and large leafy skunk cabbages. We explored streams and hillsides. Many feathers and other treasures were found, including a bird's wing. But with Greek Study on our minds, the imaginations of the kids took over - was this a stone or the eye of Medusa? Was this a tree split in three at the trunk or Poseidon's mighty trident? At the water tower, we caught glimpses of our students transformed into Zeus, Poseidon, Apollo, Artemis, Athena and Persephone playing with enthusiastic fervor. 

Enjoy the pictures below showing our adventures in the woods today!

Exploring Light

This week the 1-2s have been learning about light. Today children visited different stations set up with light experiments and explorations. 

At one table, Mrs. M. used a flashlight to demonstrate how our pupils dilate and and contract in response to how much light they are exposed to in order to regulate the light needed by our eyes to see.  Also at this station kids got to try on "bug lens" glasses which showed them the ways that insect eyes perceive the world visually. Kids also liked finding rainbows when they looked through prisms - they learned that ROY G. BIV is a mnemonic device to help remember the color of the rainbow when light is split apart into its spectrum. 

At another table, a shadow puppet theater was set up. Kids created scenes with the various characters and setting elements as well as examining the effect of light on their puppets depending on proximity to the light - puppets moved closer to the light source grew larger whereas puppets moved away from the light source appeared smaller on the screen. 

A third table had light boxes that students used to test various materials (cloth, paper, cardboard, foil, wax paper, color paddles, and so forth) to see how much light (if any) could pass through. Opaque objects blocked all light (like cardboard), transparent materials allowed all light to pass through (like glass), while translucent objects (like sunglasses) allowed some light to pass through. 

One final station challenged children to conduct a beam of light from a flashlight to hit a target using mirrors as reflecting agents. They learned that light travels in a straight line and that only the use of such reflective surfaces could change its direction to aim at a target that was not straight ahead. 

Our young scientists were fascinated by these activities and had lots to say about the experience. We love the curious and inquisitive minds of our 1-2 learners! Check out the pictures below of our scientists at work! 

Something Beautiful

 This week we read a powerful picture book called Something Beautiful by Sharon Dennis Wyeth. The  girl in the story lives in an apartment building which has trash outside and graffiti on the door with a most unwelcome message for the residents within. 

The girl takes a walk to find a "something beautiful" - something that when you have it, your heart is happy. On her search, she discovers many beautiful somethings: delicious food made just for her, special things like new shoes or a jumprope, her baby cousin and more.  

When she gets home she bravely decides to wash the message off the door. When it is gone, she feels powerful. We talked about the strong message in this book and the big feelings it brings up for us. When we went outside, we picked up garbage to help Mother Earth and make ourselves feel powerful. 

We were well rewarded for our efforts with two bald eagle sightings while we were out on the Lilja School Trail.    Videos of each one's flight are attached below so your child can show you the "something beautiful" we found.

Best Nests!

This week the 1-2 kids took on the springtime challenge of our songbirds - staking out a territory and building a nest. While we wanted this to be an authentic experience, we did let them use their hands to construct the nest (our feathered friends use their beaks and feet!). 

Kids gathered twigs of varying sizes to make the frame of the nest and then lined it with softer stuff like grasses and moss. Some kids even made their own mud to use as an adhesive agent to hold things together. A few interesting found items, like a stray plastic band, were also incorporated into the mix of natural materials.

Many groups tested their design by putting in a few rock "eggs" to see if their nest had enough space to cradle such precious cargo. One group took this test even further to see if they could fit on the nest to keep those eggs warm! All kids were very proud of their group's nest. They are showcased below, both in process and as a completed project. 

This was a fun learning experience that gave us a new appreciation for the effort involved in this yearly endeavor for our birds. No wonder so many try to return to a previous year's nest to fix-up rather than having to start from scratch! 

Enjoy the pictures below! If you are ever in our outdoor classroom space, be sure to check them out!