What a busy couple of weeks it’s been here at Audubon! After the long break for conferences, we were so glad to see the Detectives back in action. Along with the Detectives, we also welcomed some new friends to our days at school: the Planet Pals! Members from this group of eco-friendly superheroes have been making their way into our classroom each day and bringing us helpful information about how we can use our powers to help protect the Earth!

 

Our first Planet Pal, Mother Earth, taught us about the ground beneath our feet. We thought about the soil that helps to nourish and grow plants, and which gives us a space to walk and play.

With this idea in mind, the Detectives hiked around Woodend searching for different types of soil, and even made their way to the compost station to think about how soil is created. In the classroom, we read a poem about the earth, made a fresh batch of Earth-colored play dough, and decorated our own version of Mother Earth!

 

 

 

Breezy blew into our classroom with a message about the air we breathe, reminding us of the importance to keep the air clean and fresh. The Detectives, eager to spot this invisible pal, set out on a hike to listen to the rustling of leaves on a blustery day, and even made some breezy movements of their own with the parachute. Some kids played a game of A Big Wind Blows, and imagined a strong wind blowing them across the meadow! In the classroom, we explored different ways to use the air we breathe by making bubble art with straws!

 

Our search for Mother Earth and Breezy made us eager to find more Planet Pals out in nature. The Detectives activated their “green plant detectors” and set out on a search for plants growing out of the ground. We found huge trees, teeny tiny sprouts, and plants of all sizes in between! Inside the classroom, a letter from our pal Green Bean let us know that we can help take care of the growing plants, and the in return, we’ll have fresh oxygen to breathe! What a team!

 

 

 

The short week brought us two Planet Pals who arrived together: besties Fluffy and H2O! The Detectives got to know this dynamic cloud-and-water duo as they learned about the water cycle, and imagined turning into little water droplets that evaporated, condensed into a cloud, and then precipitated down as rain.

We searched for different cloud types in the sky, followed water trails through our woods, and ran down the meadow while pretending to be rain, making our way from the highest to the lowest point. Along the way, a Detective eagerly exclaimed, “Look, I see Green Bean! She’ll be happy to have this rain!” With more and more knowledge about how to protect the earth, these Detectives are turning more into eco-heroes of their own each day!

 

Songs We Sang
We Are The Planet Pals
We are the Planet Pals, the mighty mighty Planet Pals
Everywhere we go, people want to know
Who we are
So we tell them:
We are the Planet Pals, the mighty mighty Planet Pals
GO-O-O Planet Pals!

Water Travels in the Cycle
Water travels in a cycle, yes it does
Water travels in a cycle yes it does!
It goes up as evaporation
Forms clouds as condensation
Falls down as precipitation
Yes it does!

Books We Read
Why Should I Protect Nature? by Mike Gordon
Gilberto and the Wind by Marie Hall Ets
The Rain Stomper by Addie Boswell
It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G. Shaw

Spoiler Alert: Next week we will continue to meet Planet Pals!