Camouflage

Landmark 13 (Travel a Familiar Route)

Once a week, this past Fall, we went to the woods behind our school to explore. Initially, we loved playing games like “camouflage,” and discovered we could collaborate to create amazing forts together. As Fall continued, we talked about leaves and why they fall off trees, how they help the soil in the woods, and why some of the leaves are so large (we even had a leaf scavenger hunt!); We also used this opportunity to talk about how some trees have a greater chance of growing tall and strong, depending on where they are seeded and start to grow. We searched for animal-made structures (logs, rocks, drays in trees, leaves, hollows of trees, etc.) to see where animals might be hiding out during the cooler weather, and we marveled at the human-made structures (stick shelters) of our fellow grade 3 friends in the French program. In the first few snowfalls, we loved spotting animal tracks of squirrels and rabbits and had fun throwing snowballs as far as we could using trees as targets. (We’re not allowed to throw snowballs on the school yard!)
The woods allow a certain kind of freedom, as we are able to roam and explore the area around us depending on our curiosities and queries of the day. During Treaty Recognition Week, we went on a “Senses Walk,” to listen and observe the animals, sounds and smells around us that some of us take for granted when we’re playing outside. It’s our outdoor classroom. We love climbing the rocks and finding hiding spots under piles of leaves and behind fallen trees for our favourite game, “Human Hunt,” which is a combination of tag and hide and go seek. We love our woodsy backyard, and can’t wait to share our Winter adventures with you!

St Catherine CES Gr 3 – December 17, 2021