Noteworthy Nature

We made the most of the summer-like September weather pretending we were squirrels gathering and storing supplies for the winter in an active game called “Oh Nuts!’ How many pine cones were you able to store? Were any of them from other squirrels’ stashes?  You’d be interested to know that one squirrel can stash over 10,000 cones in one year. Try to beat that record!  

It was great to spend time at the Grist Mill and travel back in time to the year 1846?  We could all sense the history in the building and agreed it would have been challenging to live without all of the conveniences of today. What would our morning have been like without alarm clocks, cell phones, toasters, and refrigerators. We wondered whether the children back then would have gone to Nature School. 

The Mill was a lovely place to have our snacks and listen to the story “Sometimes I Feel Like an Oak” by Danielle Daniel who is a well-known Algonquin writer and artist. We loved how she found the good qualities about each type of tree. What type of tree did you feel like today? You did a wonderful job writing down your ideas and drawing a picture to go along with it. How did you feel at the sharing circle when you read your entry and showed us your picture? It was great to hear everyone share what they had written in their Nature Notebooks! 

Our focus for today was to discover more about trees. We were able to name many different trees and sort them into deciduous and coniferous groups. Learning the names for the different parts of a tree made it easier for us to compare the 2 types. Do you think there are more deciduous trees or coniferous trees in your neighbourhood? Check it out and come back with your story next week. 

You did a great job collecting data about the trees along the east side trail by examining the texture of their trunks. Tree rubbings are fun and we described the texture with words like ‘bumpy, rough, smooth” and even the word “furrowed” like what  a farmer’s field looks like after it’s been plowed (hill and valleys). 

Tree Friends will be your steady companion for the year. Next week you’ll choose this special tree and visit it often. This tree will be your sheltered spot to go to when you want to sketch, read, think, create, and have a ‘friend’ to talk to. Who do you think will go through the most changes this year - you or your tree friend? You can already start to think about special things you can do to let your tree know it is valued and loved.

You were just like busy little beavers during wander time in Mystery Forest as you continued to work on your ‘dream homes’ or started up a new business selling prickly cucumbers. The Nature Mentors were so proud of all of the sharing, collaboration, and positive communication we saw and heard. We were also astounded with all of the other discoveries some of you made. Great owl eyes!!!

After lunch, Gray Squirrel, the librarian of Harrington’s library, talked to us about what it means to be a naturalist and we told her we were using our Nature Notebooks to record many of the things we were noticing about nature today. She loved that and said she had the perfect book to read to us. It was “Robert Bateman: The Boy who Painted Nature” by Magriet Ruurs. Every page took our breath away and we couldn’t believe they were paintings and not photographs. 

To finish off our day, Ladybug shared another incredible picture book about drawing nature called “Sky Tree” by author and artist Thomas Locker. He said that it’s impossible to look at a tree without looking at the sky. Try it at your place and see if it’s true. We talked about how the colours and techniques he used added a mood to each page. This led us to our Notebook focus of learning how to draw simple trees and add important detail. It was great to all sit in the side yard looking at Grey Squirrel’s massive tree across the road and learn how to sketch it. Did you feel like an artist? Remember that’s how Robert Bateman started.

After being gifted with a beautiful Monarch butterfly by the Acorns and Oaks who are in Harrington on Tuesdays, we decided to leave a little surprise for them for next week. What was it and do you think they will like it? Be sure you tell your parents what you thought about our ‘treat’ today.

Also remember that if you are lucky enough to receive one of Mother Earth’s gifts this coming week, we’d love you to bring it to Nature school when we meet again next week. Our grateful hearts are full until next week Forest Friends:).