Ideally, your children will participate in the daily life of your family, supported by the rhythms and activities sent by the teachers. In the Getting Started post we suggested a daily rhythm similar to the structure of our day in Nature Kindergarten. We encourage each family to use this material in the way that works best for them. Some families may use everything we send, and others may use a little here and there. Both approaches are right, and no one needs to feel guilty if they are not using everything we share – you know best what your child needs in this difficult time. We’re here to support you!
Mrs. Thaw swept most of that new snow away again and I can see the grass in my yard. In amongst all the browns and dull greens, I can see the bright green of new shoots. Look closely can you find some new grass shoots too? It won’t be long before the Root Children start to push up their flowers from the earth.
Good morning dear Earth, and good morning dear Sun
Good morning to the rocks, and dear bushes every one
Good morning to the bears, and the birds in the trees
Good morning to you, and good morning to me.
WEEK 1 - SEASONAL POEM:
SPRING IS SINGING
Hear the birds sing their song
Now that spring has come along,
Hear each voice sweetly singing,
Joy and light to each heart bringing!
Robin Redbreast, Sparrow, Lark,
Thrush and Hummingbird listen - hark!
Other voices sing loud and clear,
It’s happy children - springtime’s here!
~ Betty Jones
WEEK 1 - SEASONAL SONG:
A LITTLE SEED
A little seed, for me to sow
A little earth to make it grow
A little hole, dig, dig
A little pat, pat, pat
A little rain, and that is that
A little sun, a little shower
a little while, and then a flower.
MORNING ADVENTURE
Every track tells a story. Children love to imagine what animal might have left the track. Snow and mud are great places to look for tracks. On your morning adventure today, see how many different types of tracks and signs of animal life you can find.
TRACKING
All you really need are your keen eyes, but if you want to extend this activity you could consider bringing along:
Animal Tracking Table (Care of hobby farms.com)
A notebook to draw pictures of the tracks you find
Can you figure out which way the animal was going? Was it walking or running? Can you find any evidence that the animal was eating something? Who do you think could have made these tracks? Use the habitat, pattern of tracks, number of toes… as clues to figure out the mystery.
If you are doing this activity with Kindergarten-aged children (or younger), don’t worry about correcting their sometimes far-fetched guesses. If you simply respond with “I wonder”, this will support their curiosity.
A stream bed is the perfect place to discover tracks!
Look for evidence of animals eating.
STORY TIME
Except from the story The Root Children by Sibylle Von Olfers.
CRAFT
Following the story of The Root Children, your child may be inspired to make their very own Root Child.
ROOT CHILD
Materials:
Materials: brown yarn, green felt or paper, pipe cleaner, wood bead, scissors, glue (optional).
Brown yarn
Green felt or green paper
Wood bead (or you could make your own bead with salt dough)
Pipe cleaner
Scissors
Glue (optional)
Method:
Thread the pipe cleaner through the bead.
Cut a simple leaf shape out of felt or paper.
Bend the bottom of the pipe cleaner up to ‘catch’ and hold the yarn in place. Lay the pipe cleaner with the bead attached on top of the leaf cutout.
Wrap the yarn up and down the length of the pipe cleaner. When you get to the end of the yarn, tuck the tail in or glue it in place.
Thread the pipe cleaner through the bead.
Cut a simple leaf shape out of felt or paper.
Bend the bottom of the pipe cleaner up to ‘catch’ and hold the yarn in place. Lay the pipe cleaner with the bead attached on top of the leaf cutout.
Wrap the yarn up and down the length of the pipe cleaner. When you get to the end of the yarn, tuck the tail in or glue it in place.
Take your Root Child out for a stroll!
We end our day with this verse during our closing circle:
Brave and true, I will be
Each kind deed sets me free
Each kind word makes me strong
I will fight for the right
I will conquer the wrong.
CONNECT WITH COMMUNITY
You have the opportunity to connect with other parents and families on the Nature (home)School journey through a private Facebook group. The digital forum is a place where you can post photos of the activities that you get up to with your children, share stories or inspirations from your outdoor adventures, and connect with other families. Please follow the link to connect with other families in the online community or from Facebook - search: Nature (home)School Support.
We are a very small Not For Profit School. If you like these resources and find them helpful, please consider making a donation to our Nature Kindergarten program. We appreciate your support!