News from the Outdoors

The Nature Detectives kicked off the year with some wonderful, warm, fall weather! To start off school, the Detectives began to investigate our naturalized playground, our bird blind and the vast meadow. We have already begun to observe, examine and investigate the world around us!

We learned our rules song, where the students sang along about being respectful, safe, kind and responsible! We practiced all of these outdoors, from using kind word and taking turns with treasure on the playground, to every child being responsible for their own bug catcher on hikes through the meadow.

 

Noticing the fall flowers blooming in the meadow and the sound of the walnuts falling from the trees, the Nature Detectives naturally started thinking about what autumn looks like around Woodend! To celebrate fall, the Detectives started prepping for our fall field trip to Homestead Farms. We discussed what changes we’re noticing outside, comparing the walnuts and chestnuts to pumpkins and apples which are also growing in the fall.

The Detectives were thinking a lot about what animals they might observe on our farm field trip. To encourage this, both classes took a trip up to mansion to visit an animal that lives here at Audubon: Boris the Tortoise!  We discussed the differences between our wild animals and the domesticated animals we might see at the farm. It was also such a joy to watch the children use their gentle touches and respectful voices with Boris, and to hear observations such as, “her shell feels just like my fingernails!”

News from the Classroom

The Detectives brought nature inside as well, digging for bugs in the lab table, examining milkweed in the discovery table, as well as using binoculars and magnifying glasses to explore indoors.

During our meeting time, we met Chester the raccoon and Owlbert the owl! These puppet friends talked through our class rules, as well as took up residence in our cubby room. The Detectives also uncovered Chester’s story, The Kissing Hand, story boarded in our feelings den to enjoy at anytime!

 

We started thinking about our farm field trip by adding farm cutters to the play dough, tractors and animals to paint table, as well as corn into the discovery table. We introduced our first block challenge on Monday, which was to build a barn for the animals!

In the dramatic play, we saw farm stands pop up, as well as watched children create their own, multi colored corn art with the dot paints!

 

Books we Read

Click Clack Moo, Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin

Senses on the Farm by Shelley Rotner

Duck in the Truck by Jez Alborough

Cock-a-Doodle Quack Quack! by Ivor Baddiel and Sophie Jubb

 

Weekly Top Hits

Here We Are Together

Here we are together, together, together

Here we together at the Nature Preschool,

There’s.. (child’s name) and (child’s name).. etc.. and everyone!

Here we are together, we are happy you are here!

 

Clean-up Song

We looked at the clock and what does it say,

Now its time to put everything away,

Clean up time (x2)

Now its time to put everything away

 

Goodbye Song

Goodbye, Goodbye, to you and you and you (x2)

A big goodbye, a small goodbye,

A high goodbye, a low goodbye,

Goodbye, goodbye, to you and you and you, cha-cha-cha!

Class Rules (tune: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star)

Here are rules for you and me

See how useful they can be

Show respect, be safe and kind

Be responsible all the time

These are rules that we all know

and we follow these rules wherever we go

 

Spoiler Alert: The next two weeks we will be learning about the farm and fall at Woodend!