Frosty faces, the sparkle of snow on branches. The first snow is magical for everyone.
It is just like something out of a postcard here. We began by making a snow art piece with snowplow feet in a deer trail. What did we create and how did we sign our masterpiece? Falcon’s signature was HUGE with a fun leafy outline. No Halloween hangovers here, we all checked in with energy and happiness, especially with our two new friends along. Our morning song brought thankfulness for trees of course. See if you can get your child to sing this song and add what our group was thankful for today. When I rise……
Off we went over a plank bridge, snaked up a grassland trail into the open fields. There were lots of OOOO’s and AHHHHH’s as we broke onto the high ground where the view is spectacular. On route we picked a treat for the ponies. What was it?
Taking a compass bearing begins with North, from here we figured out the rest of the cardinal directions and discovered we needed to head due east to the baby tree nursery. Even those with little legs kept up with their nose pointed towards the pines. We played a game with zombies chasing skeletons to make the distance seem shorter. Of course we needed a stop for a 'baby bird' drink.
This forest wonderland has lots of tree species. We shook hands with White Pine, White Spruce, Blue Spruce and even Tamarack. Chickadee wanted to explore the deciduous forest, Raccoon wanted to make some snow art, Bunny and Blue Jay had a game in mind, and Rose, Turtle and Cardinal played camouflage with Dragonfly. They certainly surprised Coyote! We all ended up under cover of the pines, finding a tree friend to come back to visit. Ask about this tree friend, did your child leave a mark so they could be found again in this forest.
Amazing Things We Saw
Can your child tell you a story about any of these pictures?
Back at the farm it was fun to eat and play in the hayloft. Dragonfly shared a book about how pumpkins rot and turn into soil (this was after the eating:). What things happen as the pumpkin decomposes, who visits and what voices did she use for these? We are hoping you keep your spider house pumpkins outside and check in on this process. Please send pictures of what is happening:)
Visiting our tree friends at the homestead is part of our routine. Today we took a cup of birdseed to hide for late fall visitors. Each of us chose a nearby neighbour tree that we would like to visit. Ask what this tree friend’s name is and why it was chosen. We have two new friends who adopted Catalpa (Rose) and Red Pine (Turtle).
It just keeps rockin' at nature school in the afternoon. We divided into our seedling/sapling groups to get Spider facts from last week into our journals. We are back using our beautiful nature journals from last year and new people were given the same one. What cool features does this journal have and why do we record new animals and plants studied at nature school. We are building a nature literacy bank that will spark interest in other things in the natural world and hopefully lead to questions about how all these living things are CONNECTED!
The final rotation involved some pony care and cooking! If you pick apples for the horses you also get to enjoy an apple treat. Find out all the details about what was put into these campfire apples. In the barn, see if your child can remember what brushes they use and why, how are they cleaned and what horse they cared for today?
Frog couldn’t believe the day was already over! Your children persevered together so well for this first day of cold and wet weather. We applaud you parents for getting them so well prepared, making sure they know what gear they have, and adding some extras to slip into if cold or wet. No one complained of feeling uncomfortable. They just may be a little tired as our hike took us farther afield than we have travelled in a while. The horses were even surprised by our busy day!
Our spirits were buoyed having Dragonfly with us all day! She was so happy to see some of her Turtle group at the farm. Raccoon never stops helping and catching us at our best/worst moments (equally important in learning). Osprey flew in for the afternoon when we really needed her help with horses and journaling. Trust me when I say your children are well supported and optimally challenged. We get the dirt on everything! See you soon Forest Friends:)
