Nature Know-How

How do we learn? Like owl through silent observation, or raccoon through trial and error? Just like us, animals have their own ways to gain the know-how to survive and thrive. We did lots of watching and doing today, all this is adding to our nature bank of knowledge. See if you can share your know-how.

You can talk about....

A moment we shared about our feelings by using colours and new words.

** Sometimes life is challenging and it's hard to fit all of the things in our life. 

What colour were your feeling like today? Why?

Kinds of challenges plants and animals face in this season?

**We decided to think about the challenges of our nature name plant or animal. We took a walk to discover if there were any signs of the challenges plants and animals might have in our area. We could see some browsing by animals like rabbits, trees cut down by humans and broken branches. What did you see along the trail?  Are there ways to help plants and animals through these challenges?

A scavenger hunt about animal tricksters and what they did to survive.

*What was your favourite animal trickster?

Grey Squirrel shared stories about her trip to Arizona. Do you remember the animals she saw and how they survived in the steep, dry canyon?

How trees can be started from cuttings.

*At Butterfly Hill we met Antman. He asked where do trees start? Fox said from seeds, while Owl said a walnut. Firefly added maple keys to our list. Water Bear asked, “Are leaves sweet because of the sugar in them?” Antman thought that would make sense.

 The steps to find and prepare a cutting to start a tree.

*Remember you need to choose a sucker or branch that is straight with buds that is about 20-30 cm long. Then what? You pull off buds except for the top one, make 2-3 scratches at the bottom of the stick, brush root hormone over the bottom end.

What are the different ways to plant the cutting?

*You can use a screwdriver to make a hole, dig a trench or a “T” and stick the cutting in until the top bud and only about 5-10 cm of the cutting show above ground.

How do you make a mini greenhouse?

*Antman (Robert) showed us how to set one up just about anywhere. Talk about what materials you need and how to put it together. We planted chokeberry and serviceberry. When should we see roots starting to grow?” (2 weeks)

Don't forget to tell the stories of other fun happenings including muddy pants!

We love when Dragonfly and Willow come to see us. Beaver is already busy planning for more fun next time and Oriole and River Otter are loving their Fridays around the pond.

It's great to have people with wisdom to share. Thank you for passing on your know-how Robert!