Nov 28 Forest Day

We were back in the forest this week. It was the dampest day yet, but it did not dampen our fun and learning.

Students noticed that it was darker today--more overcast than other weeks. One student pointed out a nest we had not seen before.

There were houses, campfires, teeter totters, and slides built.

Others "made art" on a tree with mud.

Some rested.

Many were busy balancing and climbing.

Some sang songs--one drummer and three different songs sung at once.

Today our rhyme was:
There was a little turtle that lived in a box
He swam in a puddle and climbed on the rocks.
He snapped at a mosquito.
He snapped at a flea.
He snapped at a minnow.
He snapped at me.
He caught the mosquito.
He caught the flea.
He caught the minnow,
but he didn't catch me!

Please remember hats and mittens/gloves on forest days--the weather is finally getting cooler.

One standard addressed today was:
Creativity and Imagination
B. EL. 2 Expresses self creatively through music, movement, and art.

Outdoor Day Nov 21

We headed to Rio Fireman's Park this week where we climbed, dug, slid, talked, laughed, got chilled, jumped, and played. In the morning we noticed the frost on the leaves, grass, and play equipment. In the afternoon wrote and drew with sticks in the sand and made tracks with our shoes. Both sections noticed their shadows and how tall the shadows were and that the slide was extra fast today. Before heading back to school we sat in a huge leaf pile for snack and heard the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

One of the standards addressed  is from Diversity in Learning
C. EL. 3 Uses various styles of learning including verbal/linguistic, bodily/kinesthetic, visual/spatial, interpersonal, and intrapersonal.

Forest Day Nov 14

This week we had paper, clipboards, and crayons in the forest to try rubbings of leaves, rocks, bark, and whatever else we could find.

We also were busy imagining and experimenting. There were TMNTurtle moves,

laying on the ground and "watching" a Scooby-doo movie,

driving a bus,

baby unicorn eggs (small pine cones),

big game hunts including bear and deer,

and using soft brown bark to write with.

We continued balancing and taking rest breaks when we needed them.

Next week, Nov 21, we will be having our outdoor time in the park--wear your walking shoes!

Standards addressed this week included:

Creativity and Imagination

A. EL. 1 Engages in imaginative play and inventive thinking through interactions with people, materials, and the environment.

B. EL. 2 Expresses self creatively through music, movement, and art.