What about this beautiful early spring weather? Did it put a hop in your step, a jazzy tune or whistle to your lips, maybe some action in your plans. Birds are feeling the same way, with a singular mission to construct the perfect nest, sing better than any other, and get moving forward on the family plan.
Getting busy like birds happened as soon as we arrived. A super large Great Horned Owl nest was constructed for our game of predator/prey. What prey was found and what happened when you found danger or egg on your stick? Mother Nature loves to help whenever possible, did you need her today?
What birds are active right now in our local area? Can you describe their feathers, colours, size, shape or habits? Do they have a special song…can you sing one? We used our handy bird call book to invite some responses from birds visiting the area. What birds did we hear most today? (Red-Winged Blackbird, Cardinal).
Our story at snack time brought a wealth of fascinating facts about nests for a diverse range of animals. We didn't finish this book, so if you find it at your local library you'll enjoy delving in. It's called 'A Nest Is Noisy'. We also use posters and charts to help with identifying and connecting information at nature school.
Ask your child about our nest examples, what natural materials were used by the birds and what other things were surprising that they picked up to add (twine, bottle tab, plastic, yarn).
We decided to do some of the work for the birds and went on a collection mission. What items did we add to the group bucket? Thanks to parents for sending along net bags, we used them to make bird nesting grab bags. Where did your child hang this useful gift?
Library was flighty today as well with Mrs. Eastman sharing a super fun Elephant and Piggy selection. A bird focused booklet should be tucked in your child's backpack for some extra learning at home. Thanks Mrs. Eastman for ordering in horse books, adding table colouring activities and making us all feel so special at the Harrington library.
Mystery Forest with dappled sunshine and cool shade is a great place for quiet sketching. We found adding colour with pastels was both fun and messy work. Sharing creations is important to give children rich ideas and a sense of affirmation in their work. Ask your child to show how we share gratitude for other people's work or ideas.
These kids are encouraged to be teachers, leaders and see copying as a compliment when trying something new. Thanks to Larch for showing how he quickly constructed a nest with dried grasses.
Ending our day with nature journals helps consolidate some of the information we learned. Ask about the contents in our bird nesting bags and some details about birds we highlighted today.
Wow discoveries and occurrences…
Larch accidentally drops his water bottle over the falls and gets a soaker with a near miss with a catfish while retrieving it. (no picture available)
Stories about caring for found bunnies, grackle babies in backyards, and hopes for their return this spring.
Crayfish caught in the pond and we found out it’s a boy!
An excellent menu at the Seafood Kitchen with special orders to go.
Fairy sailboats heading off on uncharted waters.
Fossil of a (ask Larch) ancient creature.
This crew is joyful and which makes us over the moon happy!
Excited for our next day at nature school….even if it snows! Happy fights Forest Friends:).
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