Our Program
We keep journals of our discoveries as we explore the seasons.
Spring
After we picked our peas this year I soon realized that under the leaf litter was a second crop. Slugs! So slimy and gooey. I had an idea! I went into the daycare to ask the kids if they wanted to help. Oh, my gosh, what excitement! With plastic pails and shovels in hand, our little “Ditty Bugs” soon had the pea garden cleaned and argued about who had the most slugs in their pails. A fun time was had by all.
Summer Walk-Abouts
On our summer walk-abouts we study and observe bugs, insects and little creatures. The kids pick up bugs, place them in small containers, later releasing them back into nature. We once came across a baby snapping turtle. It seemed like it wanted to join us but that was not to be. A snake skin was found, picked up, saved and shared by all. I’ve created “A Little Bug Book” to let the kids color and learn a bit more.
Fall
It’s fall! The air is crisp and the sky is ablaze with the colors of fall. I show the kids how to shuffle their feet to scare up the leaves, and of course, make a “mess”. What fun! We gather the leaves and head back to the picnic tables where we paint one side of the leaf orange, yellow, or red. With a bit of help, leaves are pressed onto white paper to create “mini Masterpieces” to be displayed at home and enjoyed with Mom and Dad.
Winter Walk-Abouts
December: The time of year when hibernations takes place. It is pretty quiet outdoors, yet we go out to observe our natural surroundings: tracks frozen in mud, half eaten acorns strewn about the base of the oak trees. The ground is frozen as we watch for otters and swans. We try to feed chickadees with birdseed on our outstretched mittens. No luck today, but this does not stop our merry band of “explorers” from enjoying another Friday ensconced in the beauties of nature.