Wow! Almost the middle of October and we just experienced our first day of rain! We enjoyed putting all this wonderful rain gear to the test! We also discovered that when it rains our worm friends come out to greet us. 

This week the children were interested in how much the environment around them was changing. In groups we searched for signs of fall. The children have learned to notice and observe their environment. For example a child stated “I’m observing that the bottom of the horse tail is black”. When asked why he thought it was black he responded “Because it is dying”. The children noticed that not only was it getting colder, but the trees and plants were changing. We searched for the many different types of leaves that had fallen on the ground. The children spent time counting, sorting and playing in these leaves. This week the children learned how to count to five and say bear and squirrel in SENĆOŦEN.

As the week went on, the children noticed squirrels on the field. The squirrels were chasing each other and the children concluded that they must be getting ready for winter! We decided to be squirrels for the day and spent the day doing as squirrels do! The next day, we read about and researched squirrels to discover that they don’t hibernate as bear do. We learned that they collect nuts and pinecones to eat during the winter months. They create a home called a “drey” out of leaves and twigs, and they bury their food. The children worked together to fill their pockets with what they (as squirrels) would need for the winter. We then built dreys and buried the nuts and pinecones we found. We found a squirrel Skelton and learned about what prey on squirrels.

 (Prepared by Erin Van Stone, Nature K ECE)