Wild & Wonderful Monthly Update

January

January was a wonderful and challenging month as we experienced some of the coldest days of winter! We also had a great time learning just how amazing winter is and what all you can learn even on the coldest days.

What is Forest Bathing?

Not to fear! Forest bathing has nothing to do with actually taking a bath. It is a term used to explain a practice that involves spending time in nature QUIETLY. This month I wanted to teach the children how to slow down and appreciate being still. Winter is a perfect time for this because it is when nature is at rest. Immediately following I asked their thoughts and these were some of their responses…

“Nature makes its own music.”

~ Charlie

“That was the most peaceful thing I have ever done because I don’t hear my brothers fighting.”

~ Quinn

“It is so relaxing. Can we do that again?

~ Mina

“ Wow, human beings really shouldn’t talk so much.”

~ Evy

“I feel invincible! I feel like a superhero that can take on the world! I loved that!!”

~ Henry

We also took out heart rates before AND after forest bathing so the students could see just how much our body physically responds to peace and quiet in nature.

Human Brains vs. Woodpecker Brains

This month for our emergent curriculum we learned all about woodpeckers. Each day during forest bathing we were surrounded by the beautiful sounds and sights of woodpeckers, which made the children very interested in these winter tolerant birds. This is what inspired the following question…why do woodpeckers not get concussions?

To explain a concussion I took an egg and placed it inside of a jar and filled it with water. The egg represented our brain, the water represented the fluid surrounding our brain, and the jar represented our skull. We then shook the “skull” as hard as we could to induce a concussion on the “brain”

The “brain” underwent a lot of trauma. This was the egg after it was shaken. This was the brain experiencing a concussion.

We then studied the brain of a woodpecker and learned 3 reasons why woodpeckers do not get concussions:

Less space in between their brain and skull, so less space for the brain to move.
The skull is made up of a spongy type of bone, giving them an extra layer of protection
Their tongue actually wraps around its brain, acting like a seatbelt for the brain.

To imitate the brain of a woodpecker we took a sponge, and rubber band. The sponge represented the spongy part of the skull, which in turn created less space for the egg to move. The rubber band represented the tongue.

We wrapped up the woodpecker brain in the sponge and rubber band and placed it back inside the skull.

Each child shook the brain as much as they could to try and break the “brain” of a woodpecker.

They were unsuccessful in their attempts in giving the woodpecker a concussion. The brown egg represents the woodpecker’s brain, not cracked or damaged. The white egg represents the human brain.

Winter Activities

We started to learn how to identify trees in the winter based on their bud shapes. Just by studying the bud of a tree you can learn how many inches they grew in one season, where their leaves fell off in the fall, and what types of tree they are.

We learned all about how coniferous and deciduous trees undergo photosynthesis during the winter.

We started studying the anatomy of a maple tree, so we can start tapping them next month.

The tree must be at least 12 inches in diameter before it is ready to tap.

We learned the bark looks different based on the age.

The students thought this was a maple tree based on the leaves surrounding it. After further investigation we found this to be a boxelder tree, which is in the family of maple. We drilled to see if it produced sap and it did!

We learned all about the life cycle of ferns and why they thrive so well in the winter.

While looking at a fern under a microscope we found spores, or baby ferns, growing on the back of fully grown ferns.

The students really enjoyed smashing ferns with a hammer and discovering the natural dye that ferns can create.

Students walked away with a chic new shirt to wear.

Just How Tall is a Redwood Tree?

After reading a book about redwood trees, students were interested in seeing just how tall one is. Each student drew a tree that they wanted to measure the distance of with a measuring wheel.

We then measured out our trees (if they were to be cut down) with our measuring wheel.

In the distance you will see circled the students that represented the tallest trees in the world. The students closer in the picture represented a maple and oak tree, as well as a house. They were shocked just how to tall/long 379 feet is!

We also learned that in just two to three years a redwood tree will outgrow most of us. A redwood tree grows on average two feet per year.

Winter Hike Discoveries

We discovered common mullein on the land, which is a plant often used to make tea. We made tea over the fire with it. We also discovered frozen ice in the creek, but no water underneath. They called it floating ice.

More Wild & Wonderful Moments

We played a fun game called Goods From the Woods. Students had to guess which items in my box came from nature. They were surprised to discover that the following items actually do have parts of them that come from trees: fingernail polish, ice cream, soda can, aspirin, and much more!

We received our pen pal letters from TX. The students enjoyed writing their pen pals back.

Water color paintings of pileated woodpeckers

We learned that when pinecones are exposed to cold weather they close, and when they are exposed to heat they open up. We placed this one in a cup of cold water to watch it close and then placed it by the fire to watch it open up again.

We played a game called Landmine. Students were to lead their blindfolded partner through the “landmines” without their partner stepping on them. The only catch is they could not touch their partner or enter into the field of landmines. They had to stay outside the field and only use their words to get their partner through the danger.

We took a trip to the zoo this month for our monthly outing!

Enjoying lunch together by the fire.

Coming up!

We have a lot of exciting things coming up in the month of February! We are going to announce and start preparing for our big event for the semester to raise money for a good cause. We are also going to start tapping maple trees, learn all about how clouds can help us predict the weather, prepare the land for spring planting, and much more!