Nature Walk
In class today the curriculum seemed to be around the forest, what kind of trees, and what animals live there. While in circle time Mrs Destrake was explaining what a dead tree looked like and a living tree. The diagrams depicted what a standing living tree looked like. Mrs. Destrake was preparing the kids for an observation walk about. and
Kids were talking about the pinecone that’s on the counter, they were supposed to use for their upcoming bird feeder project that’s upcoming . This week has a cool theme, Nature and it’s inhabitants. in both classes Mrs. Destrake , and Mr. Agar there were readings about nature and the world around the forest. It was part of my task to assist kids if needed help with their winter gear.
After discovering who big buddies were the children sat with their big buddy’s and listened to the story Mr. Agar hard and listened to another story . Kids were restless and ready go back outside. Kids were instructed to keep eye out for bugs, other living creatures in the ecosystem while on their adventure. Also to find a standing living tree that they can sketch and document. Was so much fun getting the excited kids ready with their class and then venture to their big buddies class for quick story,
Off on an adventure
Bundled up the kids meander up behind the Lillooet district yard and venture off to find their assigned task with their big buddies. Some were fast , some were slow. All in all it was a fun walk, despite it being uphill. It was great. As we ventured out to the hillside, i reminded the kids to stay with their buddies and to stay with the group. Was nice to see that Nico was included with the classes outdoor excursion despite his chair challenges. Mr. Alan was kind enough to wheel Nico up to trail.
Kids explored with not only their eyes, many were seeking the experience of feeling the things with their hands while they were walking. A sensory must have on this outing. I asked Myles if he could smell the tree . He looked at me said ” I don’t know !” then he went and sniffed the tree , then proceeded to walk away after .Was neat one of the kids discovered they could color their tree trunk with rotting wood which made the paper light brown . Some of the kids weren’t really into the project, so they wandered around keeping their big buddies on their toes.
Myla and her big buddy Kat found a lovely small tree . Kat asks her little buddy if she wants to sit down. Myla was eager to respond with a yes! So Kat excitedly got out of her bag a cardboard seat with plastic covering it. Neat upcycled item(s) that made doing observations dryer and more comfortable for the students. Mr. Agar has backpacks on his classroom that is equipped with cardboard with plastic covering , clip board , a shoe cleaner ( I think) , and their writing utensils. Was a handy day pack that was ready for an adventure.
Pathways for Engagement with Others, Materials and the World
The Children in Mrs. Destrake’s class and Mr. Agar’s class were able to go out on the land and learn about the ecosystem and the world in it. Many did hands on learning by trying to color with dead trees, to using their senses to experiment if the tree smells , using their touch to see how it feels. With the time the children had out on the land i believe they had a good time learning and walked away with some new knowledge.
What a wonderful example of the ELF in action for the you and the children.