Get moving, It’s harvest time! There is so much that is ready for animals and humans to harvest for food. What did you harvest from the vegetable or herb garden? Enjoy your tea blend or fresh cherry tomatoes and kale. Some even found a squash or pumpkin. What will you make with the food you harvested?
It’s also a time when many seeds are dried out, pods opening up and ready to travel. Along the trail you were looking for seeds that were ready to plant in soil to grow into a plant or tree. One seed pod looked like Harry Potter’s wand. What tree was this from? (Catalpa).
Milkweed pods have a secret door that only opens when the seeds turn brown and are ready to fly on fine silk threads.
Do you remember some of the seeds you collected? It was tough to choose just one to take home and plant. Each of you needs to do the research to find out what your particular seed needs…but they all need 3 things. What are they? (water, sun, soil)
Our Tree Friends are changing lots too. What did you notice about yours? Can you reach back in your memory bank and recall the colour of the bandana on your tree? What letter did you find and add to our group word? What was the word….can you spell it?
It was weird that Acorn asked about a tree covered in vines. When we explored more it turned out to be the same species of one we planted today. (Bur Oak)
Learning sometimes comes from others or is brought about when you think back on an experience. We had a surprise rain shower with dark clouds and wind. Some of us were caught without enough clothing. Talk to your parents about what you might want to pack next week. Watch out for the PACK LIST that will be sent to you. If you’ve already had one year at Nature School, it’s time for you to go through the list and check that you have everything before coming. Today Coyote had to race back to the farm to pick up some missing clothing.
Our seeds from plants or trees made a pretty lovely Harvest Collage. Can you find yours here!
Along the sneaky trail we had to look for something very delicate that was camoflauged. This special waterway bird weaves it's nest between the cattails keeping it hidden from predators. Test your family, can they see it? What bird made this sturdy little nest? Red-winged Blackbird
The final action on our busy harvest day was planting our new tree friends in homes, the places they are most happy to live. Share the name of your tree and go through all the steps to transplant it. Why do we need to add the root helper, sea compost, mulch and most importantly WATER. If you were a super keen listener you’ll remember why we don’t cover the bottom of the trunk with mulch (the tree breathes from here).
The picture book, “Harvest Days - Giving Thanks Around the World” allowed us to ‘travel’ to different countries and learn about some of their harvest celebrations. In India, they celebrate Vaisakhi when they are done harvesting their winter wheat by using some of the money from their harvest to enjoy rides and treats at a big fair. Our favourite celebration was La Tomatina. When the tomato harvest in Buriol, Spain is finished, do you remember what they do with all of the tomatoes that are too ripe?
With the focus on harvest time, it only seemed right to consider the hard-working farmers who keep food on our table. In order to gain a better understanding, the children acted out a day in the life of a crop farmer. What jobs do they have around the farm? Most of the Chickadees were actually asking for an early bedtime but unfortunately, even when they were finished for the day, they only got one hour of sleep before a neighbour called to say that one of their horses had gotten loose!
By putting themselves in the boots of a farmer, they gained a better appreciation of why it’s so important to say thank you. The kids buddied up, wrote thank you notes, and drew pictures for the farmers in the area. They thanked them for getting up early, going to bed late, working 7 days a week, and never taking a holiday. It would be fun to see the faces of our local farmers when they reach in their mailboxes and open these notes. They are heroes!
Three cheers for Nature School. Yip, yip, hooray!!
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