Faces wide with smiles lets us know that the farm is a special place in the hearts of these kids. If your child is new, this will become as familiar and comfortable as an irreplaceable cozy sweater.
We love this land and it always draws on all our senses as this web of life changes.
We have a change in our learning community with some new faces and old ones returning. Can you name all 14 in our gang - we all have taken a nature name now! (New: Snail (Hailey), Deer (Hannah), Eagle (Bozley) - Moving to us from another CNS program: Blue Racer (Max), Monarch (Evelynne) and Lynx (Alarik). Your nature name describes who you are and gives you a connection to the living earth. It may grow with you, following you through high school and beyond. We now know all the animal calls to help us flow through our day. What are they?
We began our day with wonder! What thumb sized creature curls up for the whole winter right in the farm’s backyard.
Tell what they look like, or show the colourful dots (spikes) on your thumb. What trees to do they like for their winter snooze? (Tulip) Describe what they will become in the spring and why it’s important not to mow in May when they come out. (Promethea Moth). Another type of caterpillar is inside a net tent. Who are these ones and what’s the story of how they got there? Next week we may see a complete change. Into what?
Today was all about getting to know the land. Even if you are really familiar with a place, things are always changing. What was new on the farm this year or what did you find interesting or surprising, Everyone loved the water fountain which is recycling water in a small pond. Who might live here? The horses stayed out last night so that they could be in to greet the group. Do you have a favourite pony or someone you’re happy to see? Jester, Sable, Libby and BIG Gus are all part of the Stoneridge herd.
Finding a piece of a map puzzle and putting it together was challenging. What features or things were on the piece you found. What did the whole map show? You can use this picture to talk about your travels today.
By midday, we were happy to strap on our backpacks and, remembering the huge map we had just pieced together, we set out to follow the trail in order to visit an old friend of ours - Pine Haven. We noticed the horse paddock that had been on the map, the stone firepit, and of course, the stump circle where we enjoyed a communal lunch involving food, conversation, and of course, hammock time! Ask your child about the interesting modification Coyote made to the hammock!
Our goal for the afternoon was to explore the rest of the trail so that the new members of our group could see all the places we had talked about on the map. For those children who were at Nature School last year, this hike allowed them the chance to appreciate the familiarity of their favourite spots and recall the memories they held for them. There was one change that surprised everyone. Thank you, Bruce!
Crayfish Catch is a very popular ‘tourist attraction’. Between stone knapping and netting over 20 crayfish, it was hard to move on. However, the incentive was to trek on to Raspberry Hill to enjoy the picture book, “If I Were a Tree”. It helped us consider the world from a tree’s point of view - what it might see, hear, smell, touch, and taste.
Last stop on the nature trail ‘tour’ was a visit to the Backwoods where children were challenged to search for an interesting object that could be shared with the group. We have a great bunch of listeners and sharers. We were amazed by the variety of things they discovered or combined to make a brand new object. See how many items they can remember. What was found to share? Which of the items was the most interesting?
The last activity of the day involved becoming cartographers - not just being able to read a map but refining their skills from last year by drawing a map of one of their favourite areas at the farm. There was great cooperation and problem solving amongst the group and they enjoyed either adding another memory to their nature notebook from last year or creating their first entry in their new nature notebook.
You may want to extend this activity at home by inviting your child to map the areas in your house, the important features of your neighbourhood, or how to get from your house to Coyote Nature school. Mapping stretches the powers of observation, perception, visual-motor and PERSEVERANCE!
Wow! Every single member of the Nature school team is absolutely amazed by the incredible group of children we have here. It is such a joy to witness the magic of nature at Stoneridge farm! Wishing you all Happy Trails until we meet again, Forest Friends!
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