Skip to main content

Squirrels & Acorns - 4 Hour Class

FRIDAY:

When we were at the park, the children noticed that acorns were on the ground and started collecting them.
 




 
 
Some of the children noticed that some of the acorns were broken. Keane said “It’s because people step on them”. Koen said “Squirrels eat them that’s why they are broken”. With that being said, the children were determined to find more acorns to feed the squirrels. We went around the community centre to look for more acorns.
When we had a bucket full of acorns, the children decided it would be enough for the squirrels to eat. Most of the class agreed that putting the bucket up on a tree is the safest and easiest way for the squirrels to have access to the acorns. We were deciding which tree to put the bucket on when Teacher Matt pointed out that there was a squirrel sleeping in one of the trees.
 


That made decision making easier for everyone. The children all agreed to put the bucket on the tree where the squirrel was sleeping. Teacher Matt climbed the tree and hung the bucket on one of the branches.
 
 
SATURDAY & SUNDAY:

We left the bucket up on the tree, hoping that the squirrels eat the acorns.
 
MONDAY:
 
The children were excited to check the bucket and see whether the squirrels ate the acorns or not.
 
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
Teacher Emmett took the bucket from the tree. We saw water inside the bucket. Elliot said         “That’s rain water inside. Koen replied with “That’s squirrel saliva.”
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Then, the children discussed if the squirrels ate the acorns or not. Some children said it was too hard for the squirrel to reach. Jayden said “Maybe the squirrel was not hungry”. After all the exchanges of ideas, most of the children agreed to change the location of the bucket. They wanted it higher so the squirrels can easily find them. Teacher Emmett moved the bucket to a higher spot.
 
 
 
 
I am looking forward to how this exploration and discovery will unfold. Will the squirrels eat the acorns? Will the children think of other ideas to help feed the squirrels? Will this lead to another interest? Lots of questions still to be answered!
Until next time,
Patricia
 
 
 
 
 

 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Social Responsibility: Down to the Core

Social responsibility- a term that has now become quite common in the field of education and has the potential to lose its meaning if we are not careful. As an early childhood educator, I have always placed great importance on the need to develop this way of thinking in young children. It is for this reason that we engage in activities that benefit others, such as volunteering at our local food bank, adopting an owl, or raising money for Variety Club. With the recent catastrophe in the Philippines, my mind was suddenly thrown into its own typhoon. I found myself asking questions around social responsibility and what it really means. What does it mean to me? What does it mean to my preschoolers? How far does it extend into the world around us? Can four year old children grasp these deep and complex concepts? What can they understand about their world? How can we teach them about being socially responsible to: ones self; ones family; ones community; ones province; ones country; ones worl...
On Monday, we became adopted parents of a dwarf frog. It was given to us by an alumni parent whose daughter no longer wanted it and I suppose she thought I was a vulnerable victim (clearly she was right!) and I said "Yes, we would love it,". Well, there is truth in that because the children already love this little creature. The Junior OSC children made Do Not Touch signs posted near the mini aquarium and our preschoolers made the frog pictures today and wanted to shower him/her with gifts. On Monday I asked them to go home and think about a name for the frog and bring their suggestion back to class on Wednesday. So, this morning we compiled our potential name list, with the understanding that we would be voting on the name. The name suggestions were as follows: Cynna: Badgie Colin: Jack Brooke: Flower Kayla: Froggie Luca: Penguin ( NOT Penguino) Alexa: Flower Bryn: Froggie Cole: Froggie Emily: Ella Zev: Spot Chloe: Eric Cash: Benji Wayne: Jackie The big vote ...