Middle Years (6 to 9 years)
Exploring Together
Landmark 13 (Travel a Familiar Route)
In our class, we have a boy who is blind. He has a special teacher who comes in for him once a week to help him learn to use his cane properly, and how to walk in the community safely. We as a class like to support him each week by going on the walk with him! We follow our same route each week. We point out things that may have changed along our route each week, and while we are on the bike path behind the school, we will duck into the little clumps of trees to explore and see what we can find!
HH LLS A – Jan 20, 2021
Mother Earth and Me
Landmark 11 (Celebrate each Season)
Today we immersed ourselves in our wonderful trail. We followed rabbit tracks, breathed in deep the smell of cedar, tossed snow into wet ditches to make slush, listened to the birds…we are so lucky we get to visit this space every day to connect with Mother Earth 🌍
Babbling Brook Daycare – Jan 14, 2021
Sparkling Snow
Landmark 9 (Special Outdoor Place 2X/Month)
Off we go, on a marvellous adventure! The snow sparkled on our Christmas tree and we pretended to be the bunny who made the prints we found. Hughey accidentally fell into the soft powder as he was jumping which created a wonderful new inquiry. We all laid in the snow-it was so soft and the sky was perfect to look at. “Move your arms and legs!” Brookey said. How delightful! Everyone was so joyful as they made beautiful snow angels. We are investigating all kinds of way we can move in the snow. We checked on the ice rink today but forgot our shovels, which meant we had to use our hands and feet to dig down to the slippery layer. There are just so many things to learn about and do on our trail!
Babbling Brook Daycare – Jan 11, 2021
Mollie Harness Pulling and More!
Landmark 14 (Five New Outdoor Activities)
We are really excited to report on our five new winter outdoor activities: ice skating, snow shoeing, fire building, cross country skiing and the most exciting one…Mollie Harness Pulling! It’s really fun to move in the snow in all these different ways. Toddlers and preschoolers can learn new outdoor skills too, and we sure do thrive on a good ski down the trail as we listen to the birds and use new muscles.
Babbling Brook Daycare – Jan 12, 2021
A bird watching window
Landmark 12 (Nearby Plants and Animals)
Today the children wanted to bring the bird book which sits at our bird watching window out onto the trail with us. They found chickadees, blue jays and looked for a cardinal. We also saw a hawk, swooping into the cedar tree which we think may be his home.
Babbling Brook Daycare – Jan 8, 2021
Five Senses
Landmark 12 (Nearby Plants and Animals)
On our weekly hike to a nearby nature area we tried out a 5 senses scavenger hunt. We identified cedar, pine and moss in the forest and noticed how they looked, felt, and smelled.
The One Two Crew – Dec 11, 2020
First Snow
Landmark 11 (Celebrate each Season)
CELC’s TimberNook program experienced the joy of the first snowfall of the year. The excitement was palpable as the children saw the environment they have been visiting weekly suddenly transformed, covered in a beautiful blanket of snow. We watched as they explored the area with new eyes and renewed excitement. The play was deep and every child was engaged fully, trying out new ideas and falling deeply into imaginative play that lasted for the entire duration of the day!
Compass ELC TimberNook Peterborough – Nov 23, 2020
Squirrel Nests
Landmark 9 (Special Outdoor Place)
On a nature hike through a nearby park last week, we began noticing all of the squirrel nests in the trees now that the branches are bare. We brainstormed together what materials a squirrel might use to build their nest and then we tried it ourselves. We gathered fallen leaves and other materials to create our own squirrel nests on the ground. We discovered that it is harder than it looks to make!
The One Two Crew – Nov 20, 2020
Wild Ones
Landmark 14 (Five New Outdoor Activities)
Our Wild Ones had the opportunity to use hand saws during program this week. They were given the challenge to cut wood and build a boat to race down our bubbling creek. Learning to use real tools is such an important skill and our group excelled at the challenge!
Compass ELC TimberNook Peterborough – Nov 11, 2020
A Special Tree
Landmark #11 (Celebrate Each Season)
Today we paid a visit to our special school yard trees. In September each student picked out their own tree in the school yard that they visit every few weeks to observe it’s changes throughout the school year. The students were so excited to visit their tree and many trees received big hugs from their loving child 🙂 After a few minutes of using their senses to observe the tree, we gathered back together again to share what we noticed. Many students noticed how ‘bald’ their tree had become since their last visit and others wondered why their tree was still green and had needles. Some students noticed signs of squirrels near their tree and one even viewed a squirrel nest hidden amongst the branches. We look forward to our next tree visit!
The One Two Crew – Nov 12/20
Sprouts and Squeals!
Landmark #15 (Garden, birdfeeder, insects etc.)
Last week we ventured back up to our garden! Since it is clear that we adore working and growing in the soil so much, we decided to use some recycling to plant some seeds to try and grow inside! Will these tiny plants sprout in our window? I can’t wait to find out. I was enchanted by our engagement and our sense of community as we worked together to fill tiny green houses. The seeds of our greens were spiky and fit perfectly in the palm of our hands. What a great sensory experience! Today our classroom exploded with squeals of wonder as we spotted a few sprouts of our greens, just beginning to emerge from the soil we brought inside from our garden. We will continue to lend these sprouts light, songs, water and a warm place to grow. We are eager to see how our experiment of growing our own salad inside goes!
BabblingKids – Nov 3/20
A Snake in the Sun
Landmark #12 (Nearby Plants and Animals)
Compass ELC’s TimberNook-Peterborough program visited the wetland area of Kawartha Land Trust’s Dance Nature Sanctuary. While exploring the varying topography and natural elements, one child happened upon a snake basking in the sun, warming itself against the cool temperatures. The children were delighted to observe this animal in its natural habitat. We were able to discuss how the changing temperatures affect the snake, and listened to the children’s hypothesis around what the snake was doing and what it would do next. We then returned it to exactly where we found it and continued exploring. It was a great learning experience for all!
Compass ELC TimberNook Peterborough – Nov 2/20
Cool Earth, Bare Feet!
Landmark #11 (Celebrate each Season)
As we peeled off our boots and socks I realized that we never know when it is the last time it’s warm enough to feel the cool earth beneath bare feet for a season. I counted today as a bonus day…November 4, warm enough to let the breeze dance in our toes. Lucky us! How wonderful that we had this chance to appreciate the earth in such an immersive way during this beautiful fall season. Sleep well grass-it may be next year before we feel you beneath our tiny feet!
BabblingKids – Nov 4/20
The Simple Route
Landmark #12 (Nearby Plants and Animals)
Today was a wonderful day to head out on the trail in search of nearby plants and animals! We eagerly navigated our regular trail, on which we travel daily. The friends know it well and as they enjoy this simple route each day they are developing simple geography skills and a love of their local land. I was delighted when the friends heard various bird calls and identified them easily-blue jay, chickadee and crow. We spotted a red squirrel scurrying it’s way up a cedar tree and wondered where she was headed? We found one of our favorite signs of wildlife…”Coyote poop!” the friends exclaimed! They stood for a long while, examining their findings from a distance. We moved along the trail, determined to find our favorite water source-“Let’s listen for the tumbling stream!” said B. I love how she thought to use her sense of hearing before any of her other senses. There are so sounds to hear nearby.
BabblingKids – Nov 6/20
Dancing in the Sun
Landmark #8 (Nature Art Weekly )
As I reflected on the photos and moments of this morning I realized that on our journals…it may seem like our every day is the same. We adventure, we play, we dance in the sun. There is SO much that happens every day though and it’s hard to capture all the discovery in words. Visiting the trail every day means we get to watch the seasons slowly and meticulously change our world. Such as the tiniest seeds that we found today-they were so fluffy and soft to touch. It was fantastic to see the friends notice the difference between the seeds they found. The fluff all looks so similar, but their keen eyes and their slow pace allowed them to notice and wonder at the intricately different designs of each bit of flora they saw. Every day we stop to examine the coyote poop that we find. This may sound funny-and it is! It’s hard for me to not explode in laughter as a group of toddlers express such joy at finding something that may be seen as a nuisance to a bike rider. But the droppings lend us clues to the animals and plants that live around us, and remind us we are not the only ones who live and play here.
BabblingKids – Nov 6/20
Investigating Animals
Landmark #12 (Nearby Plants and Animals)
This week we have been comparing what animals share our school yard and what animals live in our nearby park. We talked about what animals need to survive and if our schoolyard has everything they need versus the park. On Friday we headed into the park and immediately started to hear and see animals who lived there. We also observed signs of animal activity. We saw lots of chickadees, a hairy woodpecker, a squirrel and a group of ducks swimming in the creek. We were fascinated by the signs of beaver activity on fallen logs. Now that the trees are bare, we noticed lots of nests up in the tree and wondered who lived in them. We left with lots of questions like: do ducks fly away for the winter? What do beavers eat? What animal would live in a tree trunk hole?
We are really excited to start investigating these questions next week!
The One Two Crew – Nov 6/20
Travelling Seeds
Landmark #12 (Nearby Plants and Animals)
Today we went on a nature hike to a nearby park. We have been noticing the changes of fall around our school yard over the past two months and today we extended our observations to the neighbourhood. Recently we have been really interested in learning about seeds and the different ways they are travelling this time of year. Last week we studied the milkweed pods and thistle growing in our school gardens. Today we took magnifying glasses along with us on our hike and loved taking a close look at the different seeds that stuck to our mittens! The real fun began when a classmate discovered a cattail along the trail and sent the seeds flying everywhere! Our class talked about it for the rest of the day 🙂
The One Two Crew – Oct 30/20
Painted White
Landmark #11 (Celebrate Each Season)
As the snow fell gently…where do you think we rushed to? “Let’s go check on the garden!” said B, her friends rushing behind her. The friends had noticed so many things changing in our yard with the snow-our puddle had grown again, the mud was more slippery, the butterfly garden looked as if it has been painted by a delicate white brush. I love that the friends were so eager to check on their beloved garden. Clearly they treasure this place, and will watch it carefully, even over winter months.
BabblingKids – Oct 27/20
Garlic in the Ground
Landmark #10 (Grow and Eat Food)
Today we used our senses to explore and plant garlic! How excited we were to visit the garden with a task in this chilly weather. How interesting that we can plant a new food at this time of year. This made us very curious! We dug and planted-we are very good at sowing seeds as you know. The soil was cold and we worried about our sweet little garlic bulbs being cold over the frozen season that approaches. We covered our plantings with a layer of smooth, delicious, dry straw. The potent smells of the garlic juxtaposed the sweet aroma of the honey coloured hay. The garlic made our faces crinkle up! As we carried the hay we buried our faces in the prickly but cozy material. The friends were proud and purposeful as the transported this blanket to their new garlic patch. What a wonderful way to spend our morning!
BabblingKids – Oct 26/20
Mapping Adventures
Landmark #9 (Special Outdoor Place 2x/Month)
We love our path so much and visit it every day to see what we can discover! Yoyo gave Brookey a special observation guide for our trail and we have been enjoying using it to enhance our quiet adventures! Today our explorations began with a “nature noise scavenger hunt”. We closed our eyes and listened to chickadees, the winds song, and the hum of fall. What a peaceful way to begin!We followed our guide to identify leaves, moss, lichen and mushrooms. Hughey and Brookey were so careful to observe each treasure closely using their magnifying glass. Brookey undertook the important task of mapping out her trail! How wonderful to see her focus as she drew the Apple tree, the hill, the blue jay we saw, the leaves we observed.
BabblingKids – Oct 23/20
Reaping Rewards
Landmark #10 (Grow and Eat Food)
We are reaping the rewards of our hard work! Whenever we are feeling hungry, we just pop over to our garden and grab a cucumber or carrot! It has been such a wonderful process watching the children all engage in the watering and weeding. And now everyone can enjoy these crunchy snacks!
BabblingKids – Aug 12/20
Off the trail!
Landmark #12 (Nearby Plants and Animals)
Today we wandered in a new part of the forest off our trail…the moss was like a pillow and the breeze offered a peaceful melody as we balanced on squishy logs which housed many bugs and grubs. I love walking behind the group as they navigate and move through the forest, allowing each of them to take a turn in leading the up way. We searched for fairies and magic filled the air. P found a beautiful black feather and we wondered who had been so kind to as left it for us. We spotted mushrooms lots of holes in trees. Surely these findings were more proof of what we sought.
BabblingKids – Aug 12/20
Forts!
Landmark #9 (Special Outdoor Place)
We visit our fort each day! It’s a very special place to us, as it provides such wonderful opportunities to problem solve as we build and engage in dramatic and imaginative play.
BabblingKids – Aug 10/20
Quiet Observation
Landmark #13 (Travel a Familiar Route)
On our adventure today we; navigated themselves through a familiar path independently, said hello in quiet observation to a beautiful fledgling they found on their journey, stopped to identify flowers and plants using their flower reference book, and celebrated this wonderful wild space that they visit each day together by using watercolour to illustrate the various types of crab and wild apples they found along the way.
BabblingKids – Aug 4/20
Climbing Trees!
Landmark #4 (Favourite Outdoor Place)
Our favourite place? The most perfect climbing tree! This beautiful cedar tree offers us shade, a challenge an opportunity to play freely with our muscles and imagination! The children have become best friends with their climbing tree! It greets them each day with open arms and they thank it with joyful play.
BabblingKids – July 24/20
Biking Fun
Landmark #1 (Explore Outdoors Together)
Biking is our new favourite way to get to our forest fort! This is a new skill and a new way to see the world. I can’t wait until our littlest friends begin to learn biking too. What wonderful adventures await!
BabblingKids – July 28/20
Celebrating Seasons
Landmark #11 (Celebrate Seasons)
Today we welcomed August by enjoying local corn, we husked and cooked ourselves. We used the husks to create lovely little corn husk dolls. What a wonderful seasonal activity that reminds us to waste not want not! Our creations will provide us with endless hours of imaginary fun, and allowed us to practice our tying and weaving skills.
BabblingKids – August 4/20
Momma Monarch
Landmark #2 (Animal Friends)
The most magical thing happened today! These tiny legs travelled all the way to Jackson Creek to see what we could find. We love visiting our own forest each day, but travelling somewhere new is a wonderful adventure too. On the way we spent many moments watching a momma Monarch feast on delicious milk weed. “She will leave her babies and die, but her babies will fly soon.” said H. How amazing that such tiny humans understand the circle of life with such precision and explain it in such simplicity.
BabblingKids – July XX/20