Jan 9 First Forest Day in 2017

We were all glad to be back in the forest again after winter break and the super cold temps in December. We were busy using our imaginations, discovering tracks, building, and debating. We also learned rabbits don't eat carrots in the forest (We looked; there are none growing out there) but we read they eat twigs and leaves.

The big topic for discussion today was whether the animal droppings we found were from deer or rabbits. In the morning class, Houston said it was rabbit but Montana thought deer. Amylea said, "There's bunny poop. Bunnies were really here!" Elise said, "But they called it deer poop." and Svea said, "It's deer poop." In the afternoon class the discussion wasn't as intense. Kassadie found some and said, "Deer poop." Alex H wasn't sure, "Maybe rocks". Liam said, "I found bunny poop." and Josie said, "Bunny poop."

Here is what the children remembered about their experience today--

Svea--"We were fishing and roasting marshmallows"

Billy--"On the table jumping." and "Wonderful machine" (he made from sticks)

Mackenzie--"I fell over. We were playing fishing. I was playing with them. (pointed to Svea and Paxton)

Montana--"Build a house...I tried to build a house, but not all of it."

Alex J--"I was hiding with Gage and jumping."

Caden--"Dug it out. Roll it." (Used a stick to dig out a log frozen to the ground and then moved it up the hill.)

Emily--"I helping Montana making a house."

Houston--"My house is blocked in and it is so nice and the door is right here and I have a swing set."

Elise--"I licked ice with Svea."

Landon--"I pushed logs to rest on and then jumping."

Gage--"I was stepping on it to go ice fishing. I jumped off the table."

Paxton--"Played dinosaurs. Fishing."

Braxton--"Find deer 'nails' (droppings)", while chopping snow--"Getting it ready so Jackson can see it when he gets better"

Madalynn--"I was pretending I was a dinosaur and I was lost and she (Amylea) feeding me."

Amylea--"Dinosaur trap!"

Gemma--showing me some moss, "I find it over by the campfire but I can't know what it is."

Jennifer--"I am trying dancing ballet." and " I made marsh-a-mallows with orange juice and strawberries and chocolate milk and white milk and flour and make it on the stick."

Khloe--"I build with a log and a stick and I climbed on it. And me and Savannah made a stage and we danced."

Alex H.--"I was trying to be a knight."

Josie--"I make lasers" (with sticks)

Savannah--"Dancing...dance class dancing."

Liam--"I was playing good guys and bad guys with Memphis. We were the bad guys."

Mason--"Played Trolls and I was Princess Poppy. And playing Ninja Turtles."

Memphis--"We put our skateboards on it"pointed to a large pile of sticks.

Isaac--"brush off there. There is ice. Brush it off"

Bentley--"Build a house" with sticks and boards on the picnic table

Kassadie--"Pushing it down" the tree branch she was working on

Quintin--"Breaking it" (tree branch) and "Tying it" (string around a different branch)

Colton--"Playing Trolls. I'm gonna be Branch. and Ninja Turtle's Rafael."

It was good to be back out in the fresh air and free to follow our interests--can't wait to see what next week will bring!

 One standard we experienced today was:
Scientific Thinking
C. EL. 4 Forms explanations based on trial and error, observations, and explorations.