We Dig Winter!

It's easy enough to love nature school in the fall and the spring but the true test occurs between November and March. Either you become a fan of winter or you don't! The good news is that we Herons not only like winter - we LOVE it! We love trudging through snow deeper than our boots and being the first creatures to leave our tracks in it. We love the squeak of the snow as we walk and the bite of the wind on our faces on a really cold day. We love shoveling, tunneling, sliding, jumping and playing in the beautiful white stuff. We love becoming winter detectives and discovering which animals are still active in the winter and what kinds of birds are visiting the local feeders in order to survive the winter. For us, winter is a magical time of year that allows us to see the world through different eyes. We definitely dig winter!

Look carefully at the middle picture. Can you spot which bird is paying a visit to the Turtles' pinecone bird feeder?

Checking out how Muskrat Lodge has been surviving the winter. Did we find any tracks?

When life gives us snow, we climb trees, dig for fall treasures, and play snow soccer, of course!

So what's our secret to being able to stand up to Old Man Winter? Knowing how to dress in layers makes a world of difference! Use the pictures below to explain what you need to do to stay warm and snug as a bug in a rug!

We also did an experiment that helped us discover more about the importance of insulating ourselves from the cold. What did you learn about trying to keep a jar of warm water warm? Use words like "base layer", "middle layer", and "outer layer" to explain which materials you chose and how successful you were.

Why are we going to try the experiment again next week? How do you think our results might be different?

We used the same idea of layers in order to play a game called "Cold Snap"!

We had to tweak the rules a few times in order for the game to run smoothly. Did you survive and would you want to play it again?

We finished the day with a visit to the library where we made an optical illusion toy called a 'Thaumatrope" which really worked, heard a lovely story about surviving the winter by using the strategy of snuggling up, and tried our hand at writing poetry in preparation for a visit next week from 2 of the St. Marys Poetry Circle members. Which activity was your favourite and why?

Even though we love winter, we know that it has many challenges. What was your toughest problem today? How did you stay strong and overcome the problem? Try to remember how it felt when you were able to solve it instead of giving up. This is called being resilient which means you are able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult situations on your own. In real life, Herons are known to be one of the most resilient birds in the winter. Welcome to the club!