Ecology/Discovering Nature

With our big Arbor Day celebration right around the corner we decided to do the trail to nature, Ecology and Discovering Nature. The kids pre-meeting activity was a online interactive program with Pierre the Acorn and a tutorial about trees called Trees are Terrific - Travels With Pierre run by the University of Illinois Extension. As soon as that was done we sang our Hello song and started the meeting. Lots of business including discussion of a thank you note from the Cathedral of Joy Clothing Ministry for the clothes we donated, we talked about the money we earned from the candy sale and about ways we can use it including the arbor day picnic, we talked about Arbor Day and about the helping the City of Pasco plant a tree next week. The kids are excited, I'm excited... It's going to be a lot of fun. We have a back log of emblems to hand out so last night the kids each earned 3 and were very proud and happy!

We talked a lot about trees and the parks and how they help us and the animals in the park. We talked about different animals and where they live. We did a finger play poem and two "Bird Motion" activities.

Houses

(hands cupped together)
This is a nest for a robbin.
(hands fist clasped in the other hand)
This is a hive for a bee.
(Form a hole in the fist)
This is a hole for a rabbit.
(Put finger tips together forming a triangle)
This is a house for me.

Hatching

Here is a general idea of what you can say to create the hatching experience with young children. Say, "Close your eyes. Curl up very small; as small as you can. Lie on your side. Think how dark it is inside your egg. Yes, you're in an egg! You're tiny and curled up and quiet. It's very dark. Very warm. But now, try to wiggle a little--just a little! Remember, your eggshell is all around you. You can wiggle your wingtips a bit, and maybe your toes. You can shake your head just a little. Hey! Your beak is touching the eggshell. Tap the shell gently with your beak. Hear that? Yes, that's you making that noise. Keep tapping. A little harder. Something is happening. The shell has cracked--oh, close your eyes. It's bright out there. Now you can wiggle a little more. The shell is falling away. You can stretch out, stretch to be as long as you can make yourself. Stretch your feet. Stretch your wings. Doesn't it feel good, after being in that little egg? Stretch!! You're brand new--can your stand up, slowly? Can you see the other new baby birds?"

Little Birds

One child can be the mother bird and the remainder of the children can act out the story.

All the little birds are asleep in their nest.
All the little birds are taking a rest.
They do not even twitter, they do not even tweet.
Everything is quiet up and down the street.
Then comes the mother bird and tapped them on the head.
They opened up one little eye and this is what was said,
"Come little birdies, fly way up in the sky."
Fly, fly, oh fly away, fly, fly, fly
Fly, fly, oh fly away, fly away so high.
Fly, fly, oh fly away, birds, can fly the best.
Fly, fly, oh fly away, now fly back to your nest.

Snack was decorating tree shaped cookies and apple juice.

Our last project was making bird feeders.

Simple Bird Feeders

Leave bread out for a day or so.
(I cheated and used the oven on low for a few hours)
Use a popcicle or craft stick, "drill" a hole through the bread somewhere close to the edge (but not too close).
Tie a piece of yarn through the hole.
Using the craft stick,spread peanut butter on the bread.
(We used Adams, its probably better for the birds)
Then cover the peanut buttered bread with bird seed.
Hang in a tree for the birdies to enjoy!