Learners in the woods

We had a fabulous trip to the Outdoor Education Centre yesterday. The weather was cold, but the bright sun made it bearable. We balanced our time with visits to the woods and some time to warm up inside.

The day just flew by! We were shocked when the bus arrived to take us home. The children were highly engaged and self-regulated. The teachers were all very proud of our little scientists.

Our facilitator Jeff was amazing. He planned an engaging and playful afternoon that was perfectly paced to the attention spans of our young explorers. Our adult volunteers were also outstanding, and a big thank you goes out to Darla, Tammy, Ashley, Gary, Leigh, Angee and Lindsay.

So what did the children learn? (That is why we are here after all!) Specifically, they learned about wild animals like squirrels, rabbits, and birds, and their necessities for life. They learned about strong structures and how to assess a structure for stability, waterproofing, and warmth. They learned ice and stream safety. They learned how to travel respectfully in the woods. They learned to balance on ice and on branches, and how to react to a slip. They learned to observe and ask questions.

Overall, our goal was to instill a sense of wonder and respect for the natural world. We hope the seeds were planted.

Here are some photos from the day. If you are a class parent, we encourage you to look at the photos with your child and have him/her tell you their stories.

We made snacks in the morning to bring with us.

There were many close encounters with wildlife.

Exploring a wolf's pelt

"I saw one of these in Tennesse!

Jeff spotted a fisher by the stream that morning.

We explored structures built by older students, and decided which ones were the warmest, biggest, and smallest.

Hunter added some sticks to structures that were lacking.

Some children explored climbing and balancing on low trees.

"Stranger in the Woods" at storytime

"I know it's a duck because of the skin between the toes."

Can you see the chickadee on Mia's head? 

It took a lot of patience and self regulation to have the birds visit.

Exploring slips and slides safely on the ice.