Seeds - The Hidden Mysteries

Brrrr!

It was a chilly start to our day at Harrington!  How did you adapt to the cold weather?  Snapping Turtle made sure to bring his snow jacket.  He also thought hot chocolate would be helpful and Grey Wolf thought jumping up and down would warm the body.  Bald Eagle added a hat to his outdoor gear.  All great ideas to greet the changes in our weather as we continue to welcome Fall!

Searching High and Low

Where are those little spiders.  Pin Cherry, Cardinal and Blue Jay, joined soon after by Owl, had a quiet little prowl around Mystery Forest in search of our eight-legged friends.  Where was their favourite place to spin their webs?  Why did we find some silky threads at the edge of the forest?  Did you actually see a spider?  Keep on looking!

Imagine what it would be like to be a spider, perhaps like the one in Diary of a Spider?  What would you love to do and where would you love to live?  After making a plan for a spider web design, how did you feel about it?  What will your spider web be made of?  What will your web’s points of strength be attached to?  Did you like your web design or would you like to add some details or do some redesigning?  Practise some other web design ideas at home with your family.  You are welcome to add them to your plan when we revisit our spider web STEM challenge.

Ready For Take Off!

Webs and spiders weren’t the only things hiding in nature!  In the book Leaf Man, Grey Squirrel showed us all the ways leaves blow around and land in creative shapes.  They also do a great job of hiding seeds.  Seeds are everywhere, even stuck to a piece of bark!  Do you remember what that one was?  Hint…not native to Harrington.  Sometimes seeds are right in front of our eyes…and on our clothes.  After taking our pumpkins and gourds for a walk to Sunrise Hill it was time for the big race!  Time to see what these things were made of!  Do you remember which pumpkin or gourd rolled the farthest down the hill?  Why do you think that one won?  Its weight, size?  Why is a pumpkin a fruit and not a vegetable?  Ask your family and share your answer with us next week! 

Time To Catch And Release

Regardless of who won, not one contestant was damaged in the process.  But wait, time for the hammers and the mallet!  What tool did you find worked the best to crack open your pumpkin or gourd? How many seeds did you put in your seed envelope?  Leopard Frog found even more seeds in the field to add to his seed envelope.  What other seeds did you find?  Plant some at home and keep track of their progress.

Seed catchers to seed releasers!  As you walked around looking for seeds, what did you notice about your clothing?  Owl and Blue Spruce walked gently into the field a few times to cover themselves in goldenrod seeds!  Did you enjoy rolling down the hill covered with seeds?  Almost like a human lint roller!  Do you think any of the seeds we caught and set free on the grass and in the air will take root?  Only time will tell!  See you in the spring little seeds…or will we? 

Will They Stay Or Will They Go?

Where did you choose to put the seeds and flesh from the chopped pumpkins and gourds?  Do you think some will grow or will they all be eaten by hungry animals preparing for winter?  After reading the book It’s Fall, we learned that creatures and plants in nature are very busy preparing for winter, searching for food and building comfy homes.  Here’s hoping we helped fill the tummies of our furry little nature friends with lots of seeds and juicy pumpkin pieces.  Will they find them all, will they decompose or will they still be there next week?.  The mystery continues!