What a great day of exploring the land and togetherness for the Turtles at Harrington this week! Thanks so much to Ladybug for helping this morning. We really enjoyed and appreciated her joining in the fun today!
The day began with greeting our new friends, the morning affirmation and chatting about how we were feeling. After talking about what we are grateful for in nature, together we learned a new song with actions. What were the actions for honey, dragonflies and butterflies? Everyone went on a scavenger hunt to find one animal card each. What animal card did your child find? Scavenger hunts are a great way to explore the yard beside Harrington Hall!
Today seven students who had picked a ‘nature’ name to use while at Coyote Nature School were recognized in a little presentation and announcement to everyone about their new ‘nature’ name. The Turtles group now includes a Snapping Turtle (Fynn), Red Fox (Cortland), Bird (Colm), Gray Wolf (Levi), Monarch (Freda), Catfish (Carter) and Water Strider (Elliiot). It’s a nice way to feel connected to the world and each other!
After a quick snack and reapplying bug spray or wearing one of the mosquito head nets, we were off for morning exploration in Mystery Forest! Choosing one tree friend in a forest is not an easy decision to make. A clothes peg (with our name on it) was put on a branch or a safe spot to help us remember the tree we picked. Part of our day at Nature School will include visiting tree friends; observing its features and noticing how it changes over the seasons. What was one thing your child remembers about their tree friend? Why did they pick it?
While walking we noticed the leaves changing and wondered what they would look like next week? Will there be more red ones? What did your child notice on the walks today? We discovered lots of wild cucumbers, spiders, bugs and especially caterpillars hidden in the dead tree stumps and the soil. There were so many caterpillars that Dragonfly decided to do some research on the fuzzy ones. What does your child wonder about? What kind of research will you have them do this week?
It was nice to meet community member and librarian Grey Squirrel. After reading a story she welcomed us to the library and if we had put in an application for a library card, we could choose up to three books to take home. The Turtles were so happy and proud to be getting a library card and were feeling so grown up! A friendly reminder to bring all books back next week so we can get some new books! Thank you Grey Squirrel and we look forward to getting to know you better and sharing about the things we discover at nature school!
In the afternoon, we gathered in our learning circle to review how to read a map and then went on a nature tour together! What were the names of some of the places on the map? Using the maps, we found the Grist Mill and the orange fence that was up (it was not on the map). Why was the fence up? Using the map, we could tell what was on the other side of the fence. Later this fall, we will see what’s on the other side of the bridge! After hearing a story in the Grist Mill, using our maps we ventured back to Mystery Forest to meet up with our new tree friends and to do some free exploration called “Wander Time”. What did your child like to do during “Wander Time”?
The Turtles have started to reflect on their day with the use of nature notebooks. They can create a memory of the day by drawing, writing or colouring. After gluing in one of our animal cards from the morning scavenger hunt, they coloured it and also drew a picture of their tree friend. Everyone did a great job expressing their thoughts in their own way.
Happy Trails! Cardinal and Dragonfly.