Dente de lion is a name the French gave to our abundant dandelion. Their deeply grooved leaves certainly could be reimagined into the razor sharp teeth of the lion.
Plants are so important! Can your child remember the four things that help seeds grow into plants? What can happen to plants when there is competition for the things they need to grow?
It felt like spring today. It also looked like spring, with all the dandelions in bloom. We turned our group into botanists who took a closer look at dandelions. Samples of each stage in the life cycle of a dandelion were collected. If you start with the seed stage what comes next? Explain the sun, moon, stars stages of these tasty plants.
Using our fingers, we dissected the dandelion flowers, The mini microscopes helped to magnify the 200 very small flowers (fleurets) within one single dandelion head. There were so many small anthers and 'hooked' stigma on top.
We had a competition to find the longest stemmed dandelion. A few stems were measured around 50 cm long. What did your child learn about where to find dandelions with long stems?
Dandelions are plentiful right now and provide a great learning tool. With dandelions as a focus, we also used our creative side to make some art work. What did your child think about using watercolours for painting?
At wander time there were competitions for running and tree climbing. A 'bed and breakfast' opened up for visitors on Butterfly Hill. I would give it 3.5 stars for the low cos t(two dandelions), the comfy bed, chocolatey hot chocolate and the service with a big smile.
Library time expands our literary senses and also sharpens our crafting skills. Grey Squirrel had prepared a weaving wheel to make .....oh it's a surprise! YOU will see:). Our story today was an intimate look at a mother's connection with her child. It is a must reread, especially around Mother's Day. Thank you, GS for finding those awesome new books to share with us.
Merlin might be new to you, but most of our kids know him quite well. Caio, Hummingbird's dad, just happens to have some great nature education experience along with a very cool style in mentoring kids. Our Saplings got some interesting camp skill challenges. Ask for what they were up to and the strategies used for both shelter construction and fire lighting.
Our Seedlings got to spend time with Raven as she made dandelion paint to create a collaborative poster. This group also squeezed in making a new clay face for Grandmother Maple. It's only fitting she has a little makeover in time for Mother's Day:). Thanks to Raven for taking on this role of leading our younger group.
Taking animal forms is our way of appreciating and learning about critters that share our spaces. For our sneak back home we hunkered down in a sandy nest inside Snapping Turtle eggs waiting for the sun to bring us bursting out, rushing for water. It's great to continue the conversation and play with animal forms as we expand knowledge about who is out there!
We just can't help but feel like kids ourselves around such a creative and caring crew!
Enjoy the celebration of your amazing mom's with handmade gifts straight from the heart.
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