News from the Outdoors

March has been a wacky month for the Nature Detectives at Audubon! While we prepped for our Spring Celebration, Mother Nature had a different idea. Since we follow the seasons, the class pivoted, to experiment and investigate the incoming snow.

After Audubon was covered in a sheet of white snow, the Detectives had an amazing time exploring the melting and slippery aspects of the snow fall. We pretended to be penguins, sliding down hills on our tummies, as well as watched as the snow became easier to manipulate with the help of Sunny Ray!

We took our art projects outdoors, using paints to create patterns on the white snow! The snow was transformed into a color-mixing art museum,where the snow was white no more. The children also chiseled the ice and snow into different tools with which to use in different ways on the playground.

After the snow, Spring finally started to arrive! This past week we began our investigation of bugs around Woodend. With the snow melting off, we were overjoyed to see our pond water levels return to normal. We cannot wait to investigate and find more frogs and pond bugs once the weather gets even warmer.

The kids had bugs on the mind, finding places to creep and crawl all around Woodend. The Detectives pretended to be worms and millipedes by crawling through tunnels, and spiders and ants on top of large logs!  We also took to the trails for some log rolling, spying slugs, spider webs, worms and even a salamander!

We enjoyed our last visit from our winter Naturalist, Blue Crab, where he took us around Woodend to explore signs of spring. The Detectives showed him “the far corner” where the kids enjoyed some log tunnel fun.

News from the Classroom

The snow prompted some chilly day indoor activities, including cooking up warm treats in the dramatic play, as well some snowy shaving cream.

The classes enjoyed a Mindful Monday game this go around, practicing our mindful eyes with a What’s Missing style game. The Detectives had to focus and try to spy which items were moved around. It was quite a hit!

Once the snow melted, we jumped straight into our bug unit inside the classroom. Bugs found their way into every area of the classroom, prompting much insect inspired play! Spider webs were found covering our carpets, and the bug puppets were spotted hopping all around.

The Detectives dug for worms in the discovery table, created their own bug inspired creations with the play dough and made their own small worlds with the toy bugs in our classroom bug hotel!

Many bug creatures emerged  from the art table this week. The Detectives enjoyed creating their own bugs with Popsicle sticks and pom-poms, as well as decorating many legged spider hats.

We introduced a new game this past week at preschool- Buggo! It is a combination of a memory and counting game, and the kids were excited to rack up the bugs and look for that tricky, spider buggo card.

Books we Read

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

The Mitten by Jan Brett

Bob and Otto by Robert O. Bruel

I Love Bugs! By Philemon Sturges

Bugs are Insects by Anne Rockwell

Weekly Top Hits

Little Groundhog (I’m a Little Teapot)

I’m a Little Groundhog, furry and brown,

I pop my head out of my hole and look around,

If I see my shadow I’ll go back down,

For 6 more weeks of Winter underground!

 

Never Ever Squash a Bug (Row, Row, your Boat)

Never ever squash a bug,

They’re Mother Nature’s friends,

Catch them in plastic jar,

And let them go again! 

Spoiler Alert: The next two weeks we are finishing our Bug unit and prepping for the Spring Celebration!