Over the Moon

There are wonders in nature that we don’t get to experience very often but if we’re patient, it’s usually well  worth the wait! Our day was spent celebrating both the moon and the beaver in honour of the extreme Beaver Supermoon we are hoping to experience this week. 

Most of us take the moon for granted but don’t really understand much about it. Talk to your family about some of the phases of the moon and why they happen. It was interesting to find out how the First Nations people gave each of the full moons a name based on what was happening in nature at that time. For a fun activity, think about what names you would give the full moons based on what you're doing each month of the year.. We were also surprised to discover that the Haudenosaunee had a calendar which matched the number of scutes (sections) on a turtle’s shell. 

Who is Grandmother Moon? See if you can use the pictures below to retell the legend of how the earth was made?

Who knew that Chickadees could be such talented builders? Share some of the cool facts you learned about beavers and explain how you built your model of a beaver dam. Was it able to keep the water from going into the other section of the tray? Many people think that beaver dams only have negative effects on nature but they create more wetland areas for ducks, fish, and amphibians as well as provide good sources of food for deer and insects.

Can you remember all of the games we played and the activities we did today? Pick out the ones you liked the most from the gallery of photos below and teach someone how to play or make it.

Nature provides us with so many incredible gifts. It's up to you and I to take the time to notice and appreciate each one. Look around you with new eyes each day and you will be surprised at what you find.

Special thanks to our talented photographer and friend, Gord Barnett (Raccoon) who captures both the big moments as well as even the tiniest moments of magic that happen at nature school.

You are a very special gift to us every week!