Spring Beginnings

The sun is essential to life emerging from the hibernation of winter. Sunlight provides vitamins that are important to human health as well as the health of the environment. Certain animals need the sun to warm up enough to have the energy to be active. Plants need the sun in order to create their food. With warmer temperatures outside and with longer daylight hours, it is more likely that we will see all different kinds of reptiles, insects, and budding flowers. Spring is the perfect time to see all these natural wonders!                                                https://pixabay.com/en/sunlight-sun-rays-trees-forest-925576/



Spring is warming up quickly in the upstate and I’ve already spotted lizards and bumble bees! Pick a sunny day to go explore outside and welcome this new season. Reflect on what animals like to be in the sun as much as you do? If you are near a pond, you may see turtles sunbathing on rocks. If you live in a suburban area, maybe you can spot a lizard slithering up a building. Birds are definitely more active this time of year too! Find a nice sunny spot near some trees to sit and listen to how many different birds you can hear signing the songs of spring.
 

The amount of sunlight an ecosystem receives affects not only the animals, but the plants too!  Even the trees can tell which way the sun is shining. North-facing trunks of trees receive less sunlight and look different than the south-facing parts of the trunks. North facing sides of many tress are carpeted in a moss that needs little to no sunlight.

Go on an exploration trek to see how many living organism you can find that thrive on the sunlight. You can tell if they are basking in a sunny spot, soaking up the rays.

 

              

                https://glasgowhomeed.wordpress.com/author/planetpriya/

Try this!

The sun even helps us tell time with shadows. Shadows move as the sun moves. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. When it is directly overhead it is noon. So when the sun is in-between rising and noon it is the am hours and when it is in-between noon and setting in the pm hours. Try tracing your shadow with chalk and watch how, over time, the shadow moves. Create a sundial

to help you tell time with the sun. Whatever you decide to do outside in the sun remember to stay hydrated and protect your skin from the sun with sunscreen, hats, or long sleeves and pants!

 http://www.onlypassionatecuriosity.com/how-to-make-a-sun-dial/?utm_source=getresponse&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=heather_857471&utm_content=New+printables+in+our+Letter+of+the+Week+series+and+a+fun+Sundial+Tutorial!

Imagination Station

This week I thought I would share a fun activity I have continued to use in our Greenville Zoo Nature Nook. We call it “nature soup” or more commonly known as “fairy soup”. Sensory play is one of my favorite activities to use as a teaching tool. It is fun, messy, and full of surprising lessons. Our nature soup is created with some water, bowls, and natural items safely gathered from the world around us. I usually find a lot of dried leaves, acorns, and flowers that have fallen to the ground. I have also added seashells and dried noodles to the assortment. You can add whatever you think will encourage the curiosity of your children. Food coloring is always fun to experiment with as well! Grab some herbs or spices from the kitchen, to add the sensory of smell.

 

We used sticks to stir or “cook” our creations. The kids really enjoy this activity, especially on a hot day. I have had chefs from toddler ages all the way up to early middle school take part in the fun. Getting the kids engaged is really easy, since they are not afraid to get started with touching the ingredients. Once they have had some time to touch the ingredients and start cooking their soup, I start to ask questions to help the flow of their imaginations.

What kind of soup are you making?

What do you think the flavor of your soup will be?

Who are you making your nature soup for?

Most of the time the kids know to not actually taste the soup, but you might need to watch the younger ones. At this point, the children are becoming more comfortable with sharing their ideas and they will teach me all about the recipe for their soup and exactly what animal will be eating it. This activity could go on for 10 minutes or for hours, depending on the child. Most kids need to be dragged away by their parents wanting them to continue through the zoo. I take that as a sign of accomplishment!

For further inspiration check out Merry Cherry’s blog on her nature soup. She used actual fruit slices and food coloring! 

Sending good vibes to all the little chefs!

Nature Play Outing

The Greenville Zoo Nature Play Club is having an outing on Saturday night the 19^th at Lake Conestee. We are gearing up with Greenville Zoo’s frog specialist to explore the nature trails and sharpen our frog identifying skills. Come out and join the fun! The scheduled time is from 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM. Please email the Education Department if you would like to join us at zooed@greenvillesc.gov.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g54185-d1763147-i84599328-Lake_Conestee_Nature_Park-Conestee_South_Carolina.html

                                            http://www.examiner.com/article/the-decorator-s-guide-to-creating-a-campground-your-backyard

 

 

 

 

Hop to It!

To get prepared for this frog identifying event check out these frog calls and see if you can learn to recognize them.

 

Frogs are commonly heard at night in the warmer months, so don’t be afraid to spend a family night outside! Take an evening to create a pretend “campsite”, or be really adventurous and set up a real campsite just off the back porch. Your backyard can still hold many nighttime adventures even in the city. Build a camp fire (be sure to receive permission from your local fire department), and snuggle around in sleeping bags. Once the night has set, listen quietly to hear the sounds of the night. Maybe you can hear frog songs, or chirping insects, maybe even a howling dog!

 

 

Have you ever noticed how at night time, when we can’t rely on our eyes, other senses pick up the slack? Little noises become more noticeable and our sense of smell becomes more sensitive. Lay in the cool grass as the sun sets and feel your senses transition from sight to sound. Can you hear the more vulnerable animals coming out to play? As the predators of the day fall asleep, it is safe for animals like frogs to come out at night. In the cool air, they start to look for food and family. Males start to croak, which are matting calls, or songs, to try to attract a female. If you listen closely it makes a swamp symphony. Northern cricket frogs click like two marbles tapping together. Green tree frogs make a distinctive “quank” “quank” song. Listen closely for the broken banjo string from the green frog which make the leopard frog laugh with a trilling chuckle. Even before spring official arrives, you might hear spring peepers that sound like sleigh bells.

 

 

This raucous in the night is actually a beautiful sign of a healthy habitat. See if you can use items around your house to mimic the frogs’ calls and make your own swamp symphony.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Learning Through Nature

Children are our most valuable investments. Whether you have children of your own, are a teacher, or maybe you just encounter kids through your day-to-day life. Either way, they are the next generation that will be inheriting our place in the future. What they learn is very important, as well as how they learn. The environment that a child learns in aids the sculpting of their thought process, behaviors, and even likes and dislikes. There are two theories, in particular, that explore a child’s learning process in which the child is compared to a container. One looks at the child as if they are an empty container and must be filled with information. The second theory sees the child as if they are a container already full.  Therefore, we need to coax and guide the information out of the child.

 

The concept of Nature Play leans towards the second theory and is hardly revolutionary. Allow for the natural process of exploration and see learning occur through play! This can be done in complete immersive natural settings, like the woods behind your house, a state park, or nearby field. Nature Play can also be created using sensory stations in the backyard, at a zoo or museum, or even in the kitchen.

 

Sometimes sitting back and watching your child play can be the most productive growth for your child. Allowing them to experience nature though unexpected events can lead to the most memorable lessons. These play-guided lessons create a valuable connection to the world outdoors, and help with the overall development of the child. Here are a few articles that go more in depth about the connection of nature and child development:

Benefits of Connecting Children with Nature: Why Naturalize Outdoor Learning Environments from North Carolina State University https://naturalearning.org/sites/default/files/Benefits%20of%20Connecting%20Children%20with%20Nature_InfoSheet.pdf

 

Recognizing the Role of Positive Emotions in Fostering Environmentally Responsible Behaviors by David M. Carter http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/eco.2010.0071

 

Take it home with your very own mud café!

 

Do you want to provide your own nature play experiences to foster the love of nature while investing in your child’s educational development? Creating a mud café is a fun activity to experiment with and is hands on with nature!  This activity is full of engaging textures, imaginative play, and independent thinking. It may be a little messy, but it is simple and will definitely make memories.

Providing tools such as old pans and kitchen tools really engages the kids to use their imaginations. In using real-life items, the dramatic play also takes on an additional connection to the real world. These ladles and spoons are really used in the kitchen, what other kitchen related tasks can the little chef practice? Do they imitate what you, yourself have done in the kitchen? Can they experiment with measuring and pouring? Perhaps now is a good time to discover how mud sinks to the bottom of water and makes a river bed. Maybe, since the main ingredient today is mud, you can discuss with your child what other things “cook” or grow in mud. Search around for some more ingredients for the café such as fallen berries, leafs, and twigs. Just be sure to leave the tasting to the imagination!

 

 

 

 

 

One of the liberating aspects to nature play is that there are very few rules. So the next time you have a free afternoon with the kiddos trying grabbing some water, dirt and old kitchen tools and go crazy!