Quiet Time

Here they are working on some bird ID.

We used to have "Quiet/Nap" Time after the noon recess, but it didn't ever seem to work so well.  They were busy bodies or some would get super tired and not be able to work afterwards.  One day a couple of years ago, a boy said, "Why don't we just have bird time instead of nap time?"  I thought that was a great idea!  Now after the noon recess, they grab their cup of water and we sit around the Promethean Board and have a short bird lesson instead.  This has been a good compromise and its educational too!

Our First Birding Hike

The kindergarten birders were thrilled to be at the lake today!

With all of the good birds that have been out at the lake these past couple of days, I knew I had to get the kids out there to try to see them before they continued on with their migration.

Today was a beautiful day, so we walked to the lake in town and I reviewed some science lessons.  We discussed the seasons and looked for signs of fall.  We showed them that the rotting log was turning into soil.  I showed them the reflection of the sky in the water and we talked about that.  We looked at the birdhouses that the past kindergartners had built and discussed how the high school students helped them.  We looked at different shaped leaves on different plants and pulled up weeds to check out the roots.  After noticing large cracks in the ground, they had a good discussion about that.  They were pretty sure that it was not an earth quake!

Of course we also looked at birds!  We all got a good look at a Downy Woodpecker.  One boy exclaimed, "Dream bird!"  I think he meant, "Life bird!" Life bird means that it is the first time you've ever seen that bird besides in a book. We also saw:  a Turkey Vulture, Northern Flickers, Yellow-rumped Warblers, European Starlings, American Robins, a Sharp-shinned Hawk, and we we heard Cedar Waxwings and Blue Jays calling.  We got our best look at a really big bird!  There was a Great Blue Heron that let us get quite close.  It was quite impressive when it flew due to its big wingspan and even more impressive when it stabbed a frog and ate it while we were watching.  The kids looked at me in amazement!  They were really excited to see that!  As we left, we saw a Cooper's Hawk in a tree above us.  {Remember...you can click on the photo for it to enlarge.  Then you can look through the photos as a slideshow.}

The Downy Woodpecker was the first exciting bird 
that was spotted.

A Turkey Vulture flew overhead.

This Yellow-rumped Warbler looks quite plain compared to 
how beautiful it is in the spring.  There were more 
than 30 of them!

"Hey!  There's sticks in here!"  I explained that there 
were Tree Swallows nesting in there in the spring.

Here they are hiking through the "Spooky Forest"!

The Eight Girls

The Eight Boys
"Teacher!  The sun's in our eyes!"

"Can we go on the bridge?"

How the binoculars didn't slip off into 
the lake, I'll never know.  Whew!

Here is Henry, the Great Blue Heron.  
You know all about them after your last bird lesson.

Here are the kids quietly watching the 
Great Blue Heron stab and eat frogs!

Look closely.  You can see Henry down by the bush.

Here they are being a little crazy!

This Cooper's Hawk was the last bird we saw as we left the lake.

It is time to head back to school and write about our 
adventure in our journal.

Looks Like Fall!

I had the students paint the brown trunk and branches with a paint brush and then sponge paint the leaves with a sponge.  Each beautiful tree is as unique as the little artist that created it!

Sponge painting fall trees is fun!

"Fall Trees" by the kindergartners

Take a Hike!

Take a hike at Corsica Lake!

Would you like to spend some time outdoors before the really cold weather sets in?  I have a suggestion.  Take your family to Corsica Lake to go hiking and birding!  It is only ten miles from town and there are trails on both sides of the lake.  Both trails are in very good shape at the moment.  I would recommend the trail on the west side, if you only have time for one.

There is a bathroom, picnic area and a playground down in the campground.  If looking for birds and other animals is your primary purpose, be somewhat quiet and have your child walk rather than run through the woods to have your best luck.  Take time to throw or skip rocks in the lake, catch some frogs or butterflies, check out the different wildflowers, or see how many species of birds you can spot.  The kids know 101 different species of birds now, so it would be good to get out and see them.  You could even take some fall photos of your kids for your family Christmas card.  

Bring binoculars and a camera, if you have them.  Grab a picnic lunch and go on a little family adventure!   Hiking and birding are very inexpensive ways to spend quality time with your child.  Being outdoors is not only healthy for you, it is also very relaxing.  Keep it low-key and have a fun time!

Bird Lesson #2 - The Great Blue Heron

I took this photo of the Great Blue Heron that was there the other day.

A Great Blue Heron has been hanging out at our town lake.  You can't miss it as it is as tall as a kindergartner.  It moves very slowly while fishing, but it can catch a frog or fish with lightning speed as it jabs it with its long, pointed bill.  It is mostly gray, while some are more blue than others.  When it flies its neck is shaped like an S. It is North America's largest heron.

Great Blue Herons nest together high in trees.  This nesting site is called a rookery.  These birds will be migrating to Central America as the colder weather approaches, so grab your kindergartner and go check out this bird before its too late!

For more on Great Blue Herons, go to the "All About Birds" website by clicking here.

I took this photo of a rookery back in April in Charles Mix county.

Homecoming Week

It was homecoming week and the kids really enjoyed riding on the float today. The theme was commercials and it was difficult coming up with a commercial that they knew, but this one worked just fine. It was a cool, breezy day and all went well.  I think that they enjoyed it more than they thought they would!

Here is our float!

This is the back of the float.  "Class of 2028"!  Whoa!

We had a fun time on the float!

Here are the "small fry" with the king and queen for the parade.

The burning of the "A" event was after the parade due 
to it being rained out on coronation night.

Coronation Night

Here they are on "Hat Day", which was one 
of the dress-up days.

Awesome Drawing!

The students were supposed to draw something that they did yesterday.  I was surprised at the detail in this drawing!  She drew the kids at our table reading books.  She even drew the ceiling fans.  An awesome drawing!

Here we are in the classroom!