Our Great Big Outdoor Adventure Pt. 3

I think I've said this every day but today was the best day yet!!

We did our usual morning routine and then we walked across the street to Discovery Childcare Centre.  Mr. Wesselius our librarian came with us. He is a tree expert and actually planted several of the trees at Discovery. We learned that a tree expert is called an arborist.

Mr. Wesselius brought some cool things to show us including a tree "cookie", a burl, some seeds and even a piece of petrified wood.

Then we went on a walk and looked at some of the trees around the yard at Discovery.  Last, we got to PLAY! It was so fun watching the students working together with each other and their Room 3 buddies.

Then we went back to Stevenson and set up our shelters. Today we added another large tarp so we had even more room in the shade. 

In the afternoon we continued to read from our chapter book in the shade. Some students were laying down and got so relaxed they almost fell asleep! Outdoor learning is hard work for our brains and our bodies. 

Before recess, Mrs. Hamm took the students to "The Learning Circle" in the front of the school. She showed them a talking stick and read them a lovely story about a Loon Grandma. Please ask your child to tell you about it. 

Later in the afternoon Mrs. Lowe read "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein. The story is about a boy and his tree. The tree gives everything it has to the boy to make him happy. In the end all that is left is a stump for the boy to sit on. Some of the students thought the book was a little sad, but they liked the story anyway.

After the story we took our clipboards and pencils and chose a tree from our front yard to sketch. The students were very focused on "looking and drawing" like real artists.

We ended the day with some sidewalk chalk and outdoor painting. It's hard to believe we did so many things in one day! It has been really nice to move from activity to activity on our own time and not have to worry about schedules or school bells.

The weather looks a little unpredictable for tomorrow. We have decided not to put up our shelters just in case the weather changes quickly. We will stay close to the school in case we need to go inside quickly.  If there is thunder, lightning or heavy rain, we will move our learning back to our indoor classroom.