Squirrels, Nuts, and Preparation

Little squirrel living there

In a hollow tree,

I've a pretty cage for you

Come and live with me.

You may turn the little wheel,

That will be great fun?

Slowly round, or very fast,

If you faster run.

Little squirrel, I will bring

In my basket here

Every day a feast of nuts?

Come then, squirrel dear.

But the little squirrel said,

From his hollow tree,

"Oh! No, no! I'd rather far

Live here and be free."

So my cage is empty yet

And the wheel is still

But my little basket here

Oft with nuts I fill.

If you like, I'll crack the nuts,

Some for you and me,

For the squirrel has enough

In his hollow tree.

We have had a wonderful two weeks studying squirrels and nuts!

Our activities have included a daily morning talk about squirrels, looking for and observing squirrels with binoculars, collecting nuts, cracking them open, and making our own nut butter.

The children's nature journals are coming along nicely, we made tree bark rubbings, and played lots of fun games with baskets of acorns, walnuts, almonds, and peanuts.

We also incorporated a new "Mystery Box" game where we knock in different patterns to make the box open, close our eyes, and reach in to pull out one item at a time. This week it was a collection of different art prints that we would then look at and discuss.

This past Friday we played with an anatomy game where the children worked at placing different stickers of body parts on a body outline card.

Our nature walk verse:

The bright eyed squirrels, furry, fleet,

A-gleaming go with puttering feet.

Brown nuts polished by early frost

On the moss below by the winds are tossed.

Some of the book titles we have read this week:

Berries, Nuts, and Seeds by Diane Burns

Rabbits, Squirrels, and Chipmunks by Mel Boring

The Legend of the Kukui Nut by Brandon Henderson

Nuts by Paula Gerritsen (group favorite)

The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri

The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin by Beatrix Potter

Animals in the Fall by Gail Saunders-Smith

All children need to be adequately dressed for the weather. Especially when it is wet and/or rainy, everyone needs to have rain boots and pants to protect clothing. We play in all weather and it is extremely messy when children don't have appropriate footwear or clothing covers. There is only one child who consistently brings rainboots and rainsuit so we really need to work on this! Our new parent guide is coming soon and one of the new requirements will be that every child must have rain boots and rainsuit that stays here at school. New parent handbook will be going into effect starting October 1st. Thanks for your help!!

This week's reflection: Preparation

"If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend the first hour sharpening the ax."

-Abraham Lincoln

"Taking the time to evaluate our current situation and to prepare for upcoming events can save us a lot of time and energy. Our lives are so full it is often hard to find the time to think ahead.

This week spend 5 minutes each day in silence focusing on the present moment. Let your mind be at peace with where you are now. When your time is up, take out a pen and paper and make a simple list of areas of your life that would be wise to prepare for in the upcoming year. Keep this very simple and stay grounded in the present...it is the only moment we ever fully have."

-Little Acorn Learning