Let's find our 'edge' and move beyond it. Build confidence to fly in a new direction, take a big leap, meet a challenge or ask a burning question. Our day was filled with these moments.
Our intentional learning was focused on the amazing Honey Bee, but the accidental discovery is what shines through. The rain sprinkles and busy mosquitos lead us to persevere and take care of one another. Umbrellas gave us a roof and quiet place to listen as raindrops fell on warm, moist ground, a place to think. A big topic of chatter today was about the recent BIG storm, strong wind, trees falling and no power. This event made a impression on our group and they took some time to share their feelings and worries. Time for 'kid to kid' wondering about the power of nature.
There is nothing quite like an umbrella meeting, where a whisper is loud enough and eager faces anticipate the next adventure.
Mystery Forest was like a brand new space for us to wander. We heard lots of exclamations about new green everywhere, garlic mustard taking over, new limbs down, our mushy big log continuing to get spongy and turn into soil. New fungus that looked like ear lobes was very cool.
We were on the hunt for bright coloured flowers that eager pollinators would like to visit. Then on to a game where our worker bees got busy finding these flowers to slurp up nectar with their proboscis (syringe) and pick up some pollen on their hairy legs (paint brushes). They followed the scout bee's dance, reading from this fun rhythm the direction and distance to flowers. Excited bees made many trips but were astonished to find that 60,000 of these trips are needed for just a half teaspoon of honey!!
Ask your child about..
* What kind of dances do bees perform (round, waggle)? Show me:)
* How do worker bees know the scent of the flower they are going to?
* What happens to pollen and the nectar - where does it go?
* Tell me an interesting fact that you learned about bees.
It was so wonderful to have Georgia (Honey Bee) with us today. She is a previous Forest School student with a special connection to stewardship of our local bees. She spread her love of bees and fascinating facts about the secret life of bees.
Snowy Owl made sure we got to focus on protecting bees with a project to make a 'Bee Hotel', where all kinds of bugs can get snug away from harm. Removing the soft core of the bamboo was fun and a challenging fine motor task. More to come on this 'bee caretaker' activity next week.
A favourite part of the day is always our visit to see Mrs. Eastman in the library. She read about the life journey of bees in a 'must read again' book called, "Honey Bee: The Busy Life of Apis Melliferra". We then got to make our own bee and figure out how pollination works by getting our bees and hands well dusted and moving flower to flower. Learning by doing is SO satisfying!
We love the Harrington Library and signing out new books to explore at home. Thank you so much for all you do for us Mrs. Eastman:)
Closing our day with reflection, drawing, making diagrams, adding features and facts in journals helps 'lock in' new knowledge.
Talking with parents about ideas, further questions and what we know is a very important next step. Each week we build on this foundation of nature literacy and seek new understanding. We are seeing the curiousity of this group blossom each visit. It makes us so happy to be part of it!
Next nature school, bigger leaps and bounds....see you then Forest Friends:)
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