Invigorating the Senses!

Our week has been a memorable one! From fungus to fire, we have been heightening our senses and becoming even more aware of our forest and meadow surroundings.

On Tuesday, we had a great time molding the river clay we collected last week into different shapes. Sadly, it was too muddy and soupy from all the rain to be able to save! But it was fun to feel!

Ms. Paula told us a funny story that used sounds instead of words to tell the tale. We have experimented with different ways of communication these last few weeks- we ‘spoke’ without using words, we read a book with no pictures, and told a story with sounds! It’s  interesting how many ways we can be creative.

We touched bark and moss, mushrooms and ‘spiky things’ at the bottom of the meadow. We classified the items we found at the bottom of the meadow. We found 16 different plants growing down there! When we do this again in another area, I wonder what we will find that is alike and different from this area.  On Thursday, we even got to taste some mile a minute berries and some sassafrass tea! We enjoyed making a fire and collecting kindling along the way (also affectionately known as ‘mouse tails’ and ‘chickadee perches’!) We were in agreement that the smell of a burning fire is very soothing to us!

Our prediction skills were challenged when we came across a big surprise- a mysterious animal carcass left in the meadow! By studying it closely, we concluded that it was most likely a fox due to the fur we found on its body and around the area. We also checked out the size of the skeleton and ruled out the possibility of it being a coyote. We talked about the various bones we observed and found those bones on our own body. Although it was hard to see an animal in that state, we learned an important lesson about the nature of living, dying and returning back to the Earth.

Our story this week came from the Muskogee tribe of the Oklahoma about heat and fire (how fitting!) It was entitled Grandmother Spider Takes the Sun. In this folktale, all of the first animals on Earth looked much different before they decided to steal a piece of the sun to light the dark side of the world. Did you know a possum once had a bushy tail before she tried to take a piece of the sun? Fox had a white snout  before he tried to take a piece of the sun in his mouth. Thanks to Grandmother Spiders’ bag made from her web, it was indeed possible to share the sun with everyone in the world.

Blaze on, Trail Blazers!