AVALON’S CHIPMUNKS

Chipmunks are cute little rodents that love to scurry about collecting food, digging burrows and making us say awwww.  In class today we learned about these creatures and how they survive.  We watched  a short and entertaining video of chipmunks trying to stuff huge amounts of nuts into their cheek pouches.  These preschool kids loved it and laughed as they watched the persistent little chipmunk stuff their face.

I thought it would be fun for us to become little chipmunks ourselves so I made little pouches for the kids to wear around their necks and we set out to collect some nuts.  Before we went into the woods we discovered some of the local burrows of the resident chipmunks that hang around the barn.

Clover pointing out the chipmunk burrow!

 

 

Once we set out for our nut search it was important to get these little chipmunks to act and think like the chipmunk would.  We had to walk looking down for those nuts.  It took a while but they were successful.  Some of them even collected leaves for their beds!  Such beautiful and amazing kids.

It was a super day to be out in the woods, with the air so fresh and the multicolored leaves surrounding us!  Ahhhhhh   What a treat for the senses.

Here are the little chipmunks:

 

 

When all was said and done and our time was up in the woods, we returned back to the barn with our pouches filled.  I suggested to the parents that they do an experiment with the nuts.  Take them home and place them outside then check back the next day to see if they were still there.  Simple but fun!

I promise we left enough nuts out there for the real chipmunks and squirrels to collect for their winter feast!!

Get out and go nuts!

Sue

SPIDERS ARE OUR FRIENDS

I asked some of my kids today what they knew about spiders, some of them said they are scary and poisonous.   Well today it was my turn to try to de-scarify the myth of spiders and teach them that they are indeed good for us to have in our world.  So we talked about body parts and their spinnerets and how they catch insects that could harm plants and pests that bother us…  they are indeed good but certainly some of them are a little weird looking.  So for a day at least we tried to be like spiders.

Three of my classes participated in a fun activity… creating a web out of yarn.  Needless to say this was a bit chaotic (personally I love that) and basically all the kids were involved in creating this web.  All it took were three chairs, balls of yarn and a dash of fun!  I loved to see the kids running around to catch the balls of yarn they threw across the web, watching some of them get stuck in the web and some that crawled underneath to work from the bottom.  Fun stuff you can do at home!!

 

So now it ‘s all finished… their crazy web that sorta looks more like a 70’s macrame deal… but to them it’s a web .  I cut it off the chairs and hung it on the wall.  I wonder what people will think of this when they see it?  I will know and the kids will know that it is their spider web that THEY created.  Good for them!!

The kids also made the these great spider crafts.  Some of the little preschoolers even took their spiders on the hike with them.  The older kids drew their own webs and used their finger prints to make cute spiders.  It was all good!!!

Hopefully, the next time the kids see a spider in their house or outside they will think say ….. “Hey spiders are our friends”  before mom or dad swat it!!

Peace love and itsy bitsy spiders.  Sue

SPARKLES AND SHADOWS

Howdy all!! Today was a super fantastic day where the topic was apples… yes apples.  We read one of my old favorites by Dr Seuss, “Ten Apples on Top.”  I loved how engaged the kids were as we watched these silly animals balance apples on their heads!!  There’s just something about reading a book to a child… they will stop and listen and enjoy. So magical.

Anyway, we did our apple tasting and checked out the seeds, also known as pips.  If the child did not want to eat the apple I encouraged them to touch, smell or put their tongue on the apple.  Little steps of exploration .. ….

As you may have noticed the title of today’s blog is Sparkles and Shadows.  I prefer to write about what struck me as the best moments of our time together. Today it was our hike!

We walked and ran down the wildflower field trails.  Surrounded by walls of brown flowers that once were yellow, brown and purple. I looked up into the sky and realized how amazingly blue it was.  I decided it was a great time to lay right down on the ground and look up at the sky. I asked what the clouds made of and someone said, “stuffing.”  So precious!  All the kids joined me as we looked up into the endless sky.  Wonderful.  It was only a short moment but oh so amazing to be human… then thump! One of the kids decided to sit right down on my belly!!  So funny.  In the meantime all the parents were standing there watching.  Why oh why didn’t they get on the ground with us??? (I’m sure some of them wanted to !!)

As we picked off the seeds that were stuck to my shirt we continued our short journey to an apple tree that had only a few apples on it. Last year it was abundant with apples and many were on the ground.  Oh well so much for that lesson.

But the best part was yet to come… sparkle and shadows!

As we were getting ready to leave there was this amazing rock lit by the sun!  It sparkled like crazy!  The kids ran to it and climbed all over it inspecting the inlayed jewels.  How magical.  One of the girls said, “It’s like they threw sparkles on it!”  So wonderful

 

Before we left the sparkly rock I noticed my shadow and began to try to run away from it.  Then I challenged the kids by saying, “don’t step on my shadow!”  They laughed and chased my shadow.  The sun went behind the clouds and the shadow faded… some of them realized why it went away.  Not bad for preschoolers!  The parents traced some of their children’s shadows and we left them there to lay in the bright warm sun!  The tracings that is, not the kids!!!

It was a great Fall day in Avalon.  Love being outside with the kids and their parents!

Get outside, there’s so much to explore!

Sue

EARTH MANNERS

Hi all!  Another great day with the Natural Patterns group of  1st – 3rd graders.  We talked about Earth Manners.  What is that you say?  Well the kids generated the following list after I read the story,  “Just a Dream” by Chris Van Allsburg.  About a boy who does not really care about the environment,  throws trash on the ground, doesn’t recycle and is just plain self involved.  It was a long story but this gang of kids were mesmerized by the boy’s adventure into dreamland…  not such a great dream of the future.  It’s worth a read and discussion.

So here is there list, written with the help of Emma:

 

I have to say I was very impressed.  Prior to the reading of the book each child prepared a leaf cutout by coloring their own design on it.   They attached strings to the leaves which will be tied to the  sticks they  collected . (Stay tuned for finished project in two weeks)

Today our hike was centered on finding one stick each for their earth manners piece.  Let’s just say it wasn’t easy to choose just one!!  We chatted about staying on the trail until we got to a great stick place where there was no poison ivy around.  The selection began.  It was fun to watch them wandering about trying to find a stick that was just right for their own project.  When it was time to head back I noticed that Emma and Rylie chose to take along a second large stick… actually it was a branch!!!  It was so funny watching them lug this with the intention of using it as our “class branch” (have to give Indigo the credit for naming it!) I love  when the kids bond together and make something for the “class.”  It means they are thinking of the group as a whole and are motivated to do something for their group.

It all comes from within them ~

 

Here they are with the “class stick”

 

Next class we will put the project all together, by painting the sticks from which we will  hang our leaves and manners.

I smile when I think of them.. eager kids just wanting to have fun.  It should be this way for all kids, at least for some of their day.. 🙂

Get them outside….  please

Peace

THE WEATHER LOOKS LIKE……

Today we talked about weather.  I thought it would be fun to listen to sounds of weather and have them create what the weather looked like using pastels and watercolor paint. 

I love to see children engaged in painting and drawing… it’s so joyful.  When I took out the large sheets of paper the some of the parents and kids were like…”wow!”  What fun it is to have a large blank space to do whatever you want on it.  No directions needed.

First came wind, then sun, then rain!  All on the same paper… crazy!!!  Just look at these pictures and you can see their weather.  All different and magnificent!

 

 

AND FINALLY IT RAINED…..

Afterwards we went out into the real weather which was warm and sunny and we ate some of our lettuce…. 

Lovely little bunnies…

Get outside …. 

Sue 

A MOMENT

I am grateful for every moment I spend with these kids.  They are excited by a fallen tree, collected branches from a broken down lean-to, the adventure of being high up above the ground.  It is as magical  as this photograph, this image that was a single moment, a collective group of breaths and laughs.  Gone forever but always here.  

You can have this feeling as a child or as an adult.  Just stand back or participate.  Leave the worries at the beginning of the path… for those moments you will feel joy, fear, excitement, curiosity.  “What was it like when that tree fell?” the kids wondered. That tree which has given us a place to live for the moment.

And the moment when Lola sees this thing up in the tree?  That moment when we can explore and wonder.  

When we can touch and feel life crawling upon our hands.  

Thank you dear children for making moments so important.  Our bills, our headaches, our worries can be left as we enter the woods to experience these moments.  

Take the time to make a moment or allow a child to show you how to live a moment. 

Lovingly,

Sue 

 

  

 

 

A PLACE TO CALL THEIR OWN

This place, this magical place where kids open their minds ….. Avalon Park.

Laying on the stone wall, my view of the barn at Avalon

Where our children arrive ready for a new adventure. It is never the same.  For today my 9, 10, and 11 year olds will be given the gift of creating their own garden.  That means visiting the shed, getting the tools and weeding.  This process will make this garden theirs.  It is not readied by a landscaper or a parent.  It is their sweat which will make this a success.  And so it begins…. a place of their own.

 

Ah yes the pesky weeds are afoot!!!  Go get em !!!!

 

 

I loved standing back, listening to them talking to one another, laughing, complaining, and some of them taking charge.  It is a magical process which we as adults sometimes interrupt before it happens.   Look at these amazing young kids!

Liam and Chris get started

Hazel contributing her weeds to the pile!

 

Garden Gold!

Something is going on here

I know these kids went home tired but they were still smiling when they completed their mission.  I am always to happy to hear that some of them have gardens at home.  And for those who don’t they have this place of their own.

The aftermath!

Bravo, Kathryn, Sophia, Shannon, Hazel, Liam and Chris!!  Next week we plant!!!

VIDEO + POETRY = POWERFUL MESSAGE

A lovely video I found while looking at the blog, rethinkingchildhood.com . It is a video set to a poem. Sit for a moment, listen. You can feel a swelling urgency through the cadence of the poem, that we need to get our kids outside. Enjoy! Sue

DUCKS & GEESE: THE FEEDING CONUNDRUM

Yesterday the 3, 4 and 5 year olds took an awesome hike to the little pond at Avalon.  Owen was thrilled and couldn’t get there fast enough so he made himself the leader!  I was so excited by his motivation.  

Go Owen Go!!!

 

Along the way we found a praying mantis egg case, dandelions blooming, leaves opening and heard a woodpecker hard at work. 

Once we got to the pond we came upon a male and female mallard duck. Louis made sure I knew that they were mallards by saying hello to the “myyards”numerous times!  So precious and amazing that he knows the word… good for his parents!

Watching The Ducks

As you enter Avalon Park there is a larger pond with loads of ducks, geese and other water fowl.  It is has become a favorite spot for families to visit, take photos and feed the animals.  The parents and I were talking about how bad it is to feed the ducks.  A bunch of them were not aware of this, as are most people who stand there with their bags of white bread.   Although many people feel they are doing something good, unfortunately they are not.  Feeding these wild animals has many repercussions.  The easiest one to understand is that bread, popcorn, etc are just not good for ducks.  They are very high in calories and have no nutritional value.  So really we are harming these unsuspecting little guys.  Perhaps you’ve seen the geese who have disfigured wings?  Yep, that is caused by a lack of nutrition in these birds from eating crappy food.  Like people they need vitamins and our man made products don’t cut it.   

Another problem is that these animals forget how to forage for what they naturally eat because food is always supplied for them. So now  they depend upon us to feed them the whatever we think they might like. Doesn’t sound very natural.

If you are in the mood,  here’s a short article about feeding ducks:   http://www.liveducks.com/wfeeding.html

Generally I try not to be preachy but the lesson is self evident.  As a group we sat and observed the ducks today.  We didn’t need to feed them. We just watched them.  We laughed so hard when the female duck dipped into the water leaving only her duck butt up in the air.  That’s all you need to do with kids, watch, talk and laugh!  They gather so much information just by watching.  

For those the others who weren’t interested in observing they wound their way around the pond balancing on the wood stumps sometimes stopping to look at the the grow fiddle heads!!!  So cool and furry!  

Coming soon… a fern!

Big boy Johnny with his hiking stick!

 

So next time you feel the urge to feed those ducks, just go down to the pond and watch those silly little guys.  Bring crayons and a pad and draw a pictures of them. (yes you too mom & dad!)  Get a bird guidebook and see if you can identify the water fowl  you see  or just stand, watch and talk to your children about them there’s so much to see!

peace to the ducks and geese  🙂

Sue 

 

LOVELY DAY ♥

What a perfect day to begin Seedlings first all Kindergarten class!  You might  see snow on the ground in the pictures but these kids were treated to a simply lovely day with temperatures that warranted no winter coat…. heavenly!!!!!!!!

This Spring I decided to try something new with the kids.  It’s kind of reminiscent of tour guides in NYC, but I think it just might work!  I want to teach them about staying together as a group and how that is important when hiking.   With two flags, that I made with felt and a dowel (thanks to my husband for cutting them so precisely), one labeled with “L” for leader and “S” for sweep ( a term we used when riding with the bike club for the person who makes sure no one is left behind)  Each time we meet I will look for great listeners and select a leader and a sweep.  (obviously every kid will get a turn over the course of classes) .

My goal is to get them used to working together, not an easy thing for eager kindergartners out on the trail.  BUT, I must say this group rose to the occasion and they really went along with the whole idea.  I was so impressed.  It also enabled us to stop and explore together instead of me worrying about someone running up ahead without the group. I’l keep you updated ………

 

Exploring, we found some bird nest remnants and a dog foot print…  

Okay so 

 

 

Back a the barn awaited their beautifully painted twig and bud creations.  That was the topic for today …. all the life that is getting ready to burst open when the warmth graces Avalon consistently.  We all can’t wait!

 

 

 

 

Today’s fun thing to do is:  Go into your yard and look at the buds on trees with your kids.  If possible touch them and talk about what is going to happen.  Choose one  tree that you will follow for a whole year and take a picture of it.   Each time it changes take another picture.  Do it for a year… it’s  a fun way to  teach observation and also makes a nice framed collage for next year!  

Keep on hiking families.

Peace,

Sue