The scenery at Woodside National Historic Site changes each time we visit. The children noticed the seasonal changes as soon as they arrived on March 19th, and conversations emerged. We were inspired to observe how the children engaged in systemic thinking; the children noticed small plants emerging from the ground, talked about the growth that has been happening underground and observed the woods from the canopy to the ground-cover celebrating the changes heralding the new season.
The children welcomed the birds returning from warmer climates and shared names they had given to the birds “from the heart”. Groups explored with the nature guides in hand and were interested in identifying different species of birds. We added binoculars to the environment to expand on the observation and identification inquiries. The children have an extensive previous knowledge of birds and were sharing their knowledge and interests with the group. During the week we explored the names of bird communities and practiced collective nouns such as: gaggle of gees, descent of woodpecker, and cast of hawks.
The children worked together on building the safety area for our fire and engaged the educators in creating the fire for the group. Forest and Nature School celebrates child directed learning and we provided opportunities for the children to lead the learning processes. The preparations for the fire, building the fire, and cooking explorations are complex procedures that engage the group in planning. Fire explorations provide opportunities for measuring, calculating, forming and testing theories, and learning form our mistakes. Building a fire is a delicate balance, we learned through experience that the balance of kindling, larger pieces of wood, the moisture level of the wood create an important premise to a successful fire.
The children explored the woods, the trails, and the meadows during our nature hike with maps in hand and found snowdrops blooming by the pond. We talked about the coming season and the spring equinox. We thanked Winter for all the beauty, learning, and adventures we experienced.
The warmer temperatures helped us with expanding our tool explorations, it was warm enough for little hands to explore more tools of interest, we worked with cordless drills, woodworking vises, wood files, with wire, jewelry pliers, and a variety of wood pieces. The children fashioned “shapes and sculptures” with the wire and connected the art pieces together in creative expression.
Discussions lead us to explore the invisible yet audible changes in the woods. We placed our ears on the Maple Trees, and to our surprise, Peter Wohlleben, the author of the book, “The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World”, was correct in describing the sounds the trees emit as the sap rises inside the trunks. I wonder what we will hear next as we explore?
We will continue exploring seasonal pedagogy and marvel at the systemic changes, the emerging plant species, emerging fungi, returning birds, and other relatives awakening as the winds bring warmer temperatures. If you have access to a stethoscope listen to the trees on Spring mornings and tell us what you hear.
Love, Eva
