When Learning Becomes So Real

When the day turns sunny outdoors, we are definitely ready to head out. With buckets in our hands we march like the song of 'the ants are marching down'. Collecting natural materials is our objective since we are going to continue with our "forest floor" project. 

Emily and Tvisha pause when they notice mosses on top of the tree bark. We plan to come together toward the later day of the week to carefully look into patterns, noticing how the colors and shapes look beside one another. 

Our attention is drawn to moments when we notice burrows or hole-like openings in the ground. These small spaces spark curiosity among us as we begin to wonder who may live there or what animals may have made them. We often crouch down, observe closely, and share our ideas. Imagining rabbits, ants, worms, or other small creatures making their homes beneath the soil.

These discoveries invite thoughtful conversations about habitats and the hidden life that exists around us. We begin to understand that the land we walk on is also a home for many living things. By paying attention to these burrows or natural materials, we practice careful observations, respect for nature, and develop empathy for the animals that share the environment with us.

Through these moments, we encourage ourselves to move gently, look closely, and use our imagination to think about the relationships between animals, their homes, and the natural world around them. Anthony describes while pointing to the stump, "This is the home of the snakes." Anthony comment reflects his growing awareness that animals need places to live and hide.

Through these moments, we begin to connect natural features such as stumps, logs, and burrows with the concept of habitats. Our ideas open space for conversation, wondering together about which creatures may live underground or inside the protective spaces of nature.

Dhanika and Ryan move with their bodies in a way that approaches nature freely and openly. Their movements reflect a sense of curiosity and comfort in the natural space. Rather than moving quickly past things, they take time to observe and interact with what they notice. Through these bodily engagements, Dhanika and Ryan show how we explore nature not only with our eyes and words, but also through movement, touch, and presence.

Back indoors, Rebecca associates her understanding of constructing a maze from Keva planks as a possible home to our bunny friends. As she carefully places the planks, Rebecca explains that the pathways and enclosed spaces can become places for the bunnies to move through and stay in.

Her ideas reflects how we carry our experiences from the outdoor environment into our indoor explorations. After noticing burrows and thinking about animal homes outside, Rebecca translates this understanding into her construction work. The maze becomes more than a structure; it represents a habitat she imagines for animals.

Through this process, Rebecca demonstrates how we connect observation, imagination, and building. The Keva planks become a medium for expressing her thinking about how animals may live, move, and find shelter.

When we associate our understanding with cooking experiences such as making our own scrambled eggs from scratch. We begin to see how learning connects across different parts of our lives. Cooking becomes another way for us to explore ideas about processes, transformational, and care.

As we crack the eggs, whisk them, and watch them change while cooking, we observe how ingredients can be transformed through simple steps. 

These hands-on experiences invite us to participate actively, using our senses like touching, smelling, seeing, and tasting.

Just as we construct a maze to imagine a home for bunny friends, cooking allows us to construct understanding in a different way. We begin to recognize where food comes from, how it is prepared, and how working together can create something nourishing to share. Through these experiences, we connect observation, creativity, and practical life skills in meaningful ways.

Our forest floor exploration turns into a magnificent experience as Tiffany, our art specialist, joins us to support our ideas. With her guidance, we begin attaching loose parts to represent roots spreading beneath the forest floor. Twig, small branches, and other natural materials are thoughtfully arranged, helping us visualize how roots grow and connect underneath the ground.

Through this collaborative process, we expand our understanding of what lies beneath the surface of the forest. Tiffany's presence invites us to see how art can help express our observations and ideas about nature. The loose parts become more that materials; they transform into roots, pathways, and extensions of the trees we have been exploring.

This shared experience allows us to combine imagination, creativity, and our growing knowledge of the natural world, turning the forest into a living canvas of our collective thinking.

We begin by reading the book Gossie by Olivier Dunrea. The story follows a small gosling named Gossie who cannot find her beloved red boots. Through the story, friends begin reflecting on how it may feel when something important to us is taken without asking. We talk about the importance of respecting each other's belongings and asking before taking something that is not ours.

During our discussion, Luka shares that Gossie feels sad when her red boots are gone because someone takes them without asking. Friends reflecte on how actions can affect others' feelings and how asking first can help keep friendships kind and respectful. Stories like this help children connect emotions to real experiences in our classroom community.

We then shift our focus to learning more about ducks and how their bodies help them live in water. Friends discover that ducks have oil on their feathers, which helps water slide off instead of soaking in. To explore this idea, we conduct a small experiment using wax paper and tissue paper. Friends use droppers to place colored water onto both surfaces to see what will happen.

Rebecca observes that the water slides right off the wax paper, just like how water rolls off duck feathers.

Dhanika compares two materials and explains that the tissue paper absorbs the water like our hair, while the wax paper allows the water to roll off like duck feathers.

Emily carefully drops water onto the wax paper and watches it move across the surface instead of soaking in. This simple experiment help us visualize how animals are adapted to their environments.

Our exploration continues with another experiment using oil, milk, and food coloring. Friends are invited to drop the milk mixture into oil and observe whether the liquids would mix together or separate. As the colors move and spread through the oil, we excitedly create our own colouful patterns.

mily notices that oil and water separate, making an important scientific observation. 

​Luka looks closely at his mixture and shares that the colors look like a big ocean with many sea creatures such as sharks and whales. This imaginative connection shows how we combine scientific discovery with creative thinking.

Here comes the day for our field trip to Aunt Lois and Uncle Gary's farm! The excitement is felt among us as we prepare to step into a place where many of the ideas we have been exploring about animals, habitat, and nature can be experienced more closely.

A visit to the farm offers us an opportunity to see firsthand how animals live and how the land supports them. We look forward to observing the animals, noticing where they rest, how they move,  and what their environments look like. 

These moments extend our conversations about homes and relationships between animals and their habitats.

Being in this setting also invites us to continue our explorative mode. Walking through open spaces, observing the ground, noticing barns, fences, and natural elements that make up the farm environment. 

It becomes a meaningful way to connect our previous discoveries about nature with real-life experiences on the farm. Thank you for opening the door of learning in such a beautiful way! We are so grateful!

Kindest,
Children & Friends.