If you are looking for resources, songs and poems that have been shared previously on the blog, you can use the search tool on this page.
May comes but once a year,
the dancing month,
the sky light and high
the birch trees bursting.
May is the daisy time,
and cowslip
and primrose
and harebell
and dancing anemones.
Deep down in the meadow grass,
they’re all dancing
with delight,
lily-of-the-valley
nodding,
ringing her bells,
the silver trunks
lordly and slim,
their branches and silvery twigs
dancing too
to the tune of Spring.
Excerpt from Around the Year by Elsa Beskow
SEASONAL POEMS:
I see across the meadow is a farmer working, sturdy and strong,
with his sack of seeds he strides along;
Let's go work with him in the field today.
It's time to sow our seed.
~ Unknown
Photo Credit: Gardeners Path
Splish, splash, splish, splash
here's how we walk in the rain.
Splish, splash, splish, splash
here¹s how we walk in the rain.
And splash -we run through the puddles.
And splosh - we skip in the rain.
And splish - we turn round the corner
until we come home again!
~ Unknown
SEASONAL SONG:
Photo Credit: Old World Garden Farms
Inch by Inch
Inch by inch, row by row
Gonna make this garden grow
All it takes is a rake and a hoe
And a piece of fertile ground
Inch by inch, row by row
Someone bless these seeds I sow
Someone warm them from below
Till the rain comes tumblin' down
Pullin' weeds and pickin' stones
Man is made of dreams and bones
Feel the need to grow my own
'Cause the time is close at hand
NATURE ADVENTURES & PROJECTS
Pack your backpack with a snack, water, and extra clothes and get ready to hit the trail (or your backyard!).
Here are some ideas that you might want to try out this week:
TREES
NATURE ADVENTURE
The trees have been busy these last few weeks! Many trees are on the verge of ‘leafing out’, some trees have beautiful flowers already (check out the Serviceberry trees), the once fuzzy catkins have grown long and green, and the spruce trees are producing new tips.
Observe what is going on with the trees that you pass on your adventure.
ACTIVITY: LET’S LOOK AT TREES
Look closely at the trees. Use the materials listed to help you focus in and observe individual tree parts.
Cardboard tubes:
Use these to focus on and observe individual tree parts. Lie on your back and look at the tree tops, observe distant trees, and search for evidence of animals using the trees.
Magnifying glasses:
Use these to focus on the details of bark, twigs, leaves, and tree flowers.
Numeracy Connections
Find a tree stump and count the rings
Measure the circumference of the tree with your arms (hug the tree). Is the circumference larger or smaller than your hug?
Literacy Connections
Encourage your child to talk about their observations.
Develop a vocabulary list of tree words based on your child’s observations.
PROJECT
Construct a Tree
Create deciduous and evergreen trees out of arts-and-crafts materials.
Optional Materials:
Cardboard tubes
Pipecleaners
Straws
Paper
Modelling clay
MAPPING
NATURE ADVENTURE
On your adventure keep track of the turns you make (left or right). You may wish to bring a clipboard with you to draw your route and things you pass as you go.
Perhaps you have a favourite spot you like to visit outdoors (your backyard or a nearby green space). Using natural materials, make a 3D map of this spot.
Illustration Credit: The Children’s Forest
Illustration Credit: http://ms2tc7.weebly.com/activity-4-natures-treasure-map.html
Numeracy Connections
Count the number of steps between landmarks on your journey.
Measure the perimeter of the spot you are mapping with your steps.
Literacy Connections
Label the landmarks on your map.
Write the directions to get from one place to another (your house to the park).
Photo Credit: Babyccino
PROJECT
Make a Treasure Map
Put together a collection of nature treasures (shells, acorns, sparkly rocks, feathers…) in a small cardboard or wood box. Hide the treasure box in your backyard or in a green space that you visit regularly. Next, draw a treasure map that you can follow to get back to the treasure. Remember: X marks the spot!
Materials:
Photo Credit: Tree Valley Academy
Small cardboard or wood box
A collection of nature treasures
Paper
Crayons
Find more tips about mapping with children here: https://www.treevalleyacademy.com/pirate-treasure-map/
PLANTS
NATURE ADVENTURE
Every day new plants are pushing through the soil. Go for a walk around your backyard or local green space and observe which plants are new on the scene.
If you are in Eastern Ontario, can you find these plant friends?
Marsh Marigold, Bloodroot, Trout Lily
Numeracy Connections
Count the leaves on a plant that you find.
Plant seeds into a garden and pay attention to the directions on the package. Measure the distance between each seed you place and row you sow.
Literacy Connections
Read the instructions on the back of seed packages.
Record a list the seeds you plant in your garden.
PROJECT
Plant Nursery
Sow seeds indoors in a small pots. Care for the baby plants until it is warm enough to transfer them into an outdoor garden.
Photo Credit: Bear and Lion Mama
Materials:
Small plant pots
Herb or vegetable seeds that are suitable to start indoors
Soil
Paint and paintbrushes to decorate your pots
Instructions:
Use the paint to decorate the outside of the plant pot.
Once the paint is dry, fill the pot with soil.
Make small holes in the soil with your fingers.
Place the seeds in the holes and cover with soil.
Keep the soil moist until the seeds germinate and sprout.
Care for the baby plants until it is consistently warm enough outside for them to be transferred into the garden.
RAIN
NATURE ADVENTURE
May can be a wet month! Dress for the wet weather and go on a puddle hunt!
Count the number of puddles you come across.
Check the depth of the puddle with a stick or your boot.
Make a small boat to sail in the puddles you find (see project below).
PROJECT
Make a Cork Boat
Materials:
3 corks
2 elastics
a small stick / BBQ skewer
Felt sail
String or yarn (optional)
Photo Credit: Red Ted Art
Instructions:
Place your elastics around the three corks – try and get 3 corks that are roughly the same width.
Pierce your sail through the top and bottom with the stick.
Poke the stick into the cork boat base and you are done and ready to sail!
Tie a string onto the elastic if you would like to have more control over where the boat sails to!
SEASONAL STORIES
Teacher Sabrina reading the story The Little Seed by Ananda Eluf.
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.