Turtle Splash

This Week’s Adventures: We learned all about turtles!

Favorite Activities: We got to meet a diamondback terrapin and compared its features to a box turtle. We pretended to move like turtles and acted out how box turtles protect themselves. We decorated our own turtle vests by printing scale patterns on them with egg cartons. We loved getting muddy like aquatic turtles at the stream. We loved acting out ”How the Turtle Got its Long Neck” as a puppet show. We created mini-turtles sculptures and reptile bingo was also a hit!

Next’s Week’s Theme: Make Way for Frogs (“Ff”)

Try this at home: Use a paper bowl turned upside-down to make your own turtle!

If I was a Snake…

This Week’s Adventures: We learned about snakes!

Favorite Activities: We loved meeting a real king snake and learned why it truly is “king” (it eats other snakes). We examined snake scale patterns and coloration, which was fun using real snake shed snake skin. We also pretended to be snakes by wearing pantyhose, the real trick was getting out of this skin without using our hands! We created giant snakes along the trail using found twigs. We measured snake skins and sorted them by size. We also made snake necklaces using dyed noodles!

Next’s Week’s Theme: Turtle Splash (“Tt”)

Try this at home: Make a giant snake using your body! Would you bask in the sun in the winter if you were a snake?

 

What’s Hatching?

This Week’s Adventures: We discovered things that will be hatching this spring from all kinds of strange eggs!

Favorite Activities: We searched for eggs in the water, trees, grass and under logs. We sculpted our own nest with eggs and stitched nest helpers using scrap yarn. We hid our own eggs (tennis balls) in the meadow and placed them in grassy nests – then we attempted to hatch the eggs! We compared the jelly-like eggs of amphibians to the leathery pouch-like eggs of reptiles and hard shelled eggs of birds. There is no shortage of eggs to learn about!

Next’s Week’s Theme: If I was a Snake (“Ss”)

Try this at home: Look for nests in the trees or clusters of eggs in a stream or pond. Turn over logs or rocks to find insect eggs. (Just remember not to disturb them! Always gently place logs and rocks back where you find them.)

 

Tap for Sap

This Week’s Adventures: We discoverd the miracle of maple sugarin’ as we hiked through the forest in search of maple trees.

Favorite Activities: We compared twigs to learn about opposite and alternate branching to identify maple trees. We gathered sap from tapped trees to add to the evaporator (the special oven where sap turns into syrup). We discovered animals that also enjoy sap, like the yellow-bellied sap sucker, and sang song of its praises. We even painted twig bouquets to celebrate winter trees!

Next’s Week’s Theme: What’s Hatching? (“Hh”)

Try this at home: Search for the horizontal holes drilled in the side maple trees.

True Love Birds

This Week’s Adventures: We discoverd what bluebirds are up to in late winter…

Favorite Activities: Visits to the birdboxes along the meadow was a highlight! We searched for our feathered friends amidst the mud and snow. We exchanged sweet love notes to friends and family, and celebrate song birds by creating fruit garland for them outdoors. Our beautiful bluebird art was fun to make, too!

Next’s Week’s Theme: Tap for Sap (“Mm”)

Try this at home: Put up a birdbox! Although it’s still winter, birds like the Eastern Bluebirds begin nesting now. You’ll need some open lawn or meadow that borders woods for the best chance of attracting bluebirds, who eat insects in and along the meadow’s edge.

Snowy Science

This Week’s Adventures: We were in the mood for making experiments this week!

Favorite Activities: We did loads of fun experiments including one with borax that created crystals. We also loved the “frozen bubbles” experiement outside. Parents visited the classroom to read stories about weather and science, and even helped make snow people for our classroom. Our African pygmy hedgehog visited the children with Miss Laura, too!

Next’s Week’s Theme: True Love Birds (“Ee”)

Try this at home: Have an ice cube hunt! Hide several around the yard and record which ones you think will melt first. Check on your ice cubes throughout the day to see if your predictions are correct.

Over the Snow

This Week’s Adventures: Snow was all around!

Favorite Activities: We loved reading Jan Brett’s ever-popular The Mitten story and used puppets to fill our giant mitten as we acted it out. We searched for tracks in the snow and even watched how painted turtles hibernate and arise in spring. We searched for tracks in the snow and also met a resident painted turtle. We found a cache of stones and transformed them into snowman totems along the trail, too!

Next’s Week’s Theme: Snowy Science (“Cc”)

Try this at home: Search for animal tracks in the snow and count how many different kinds you spy!