October’s Party October gave a party; The leaves by hundreds came— The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples, And leaves of every name. The Sunshine spread a carpet, And everything was grand, Miss Weather led the dancing, Professor Wind the band. The Chestnuts came in yellow, The Oaks in crimson dressed; The lovely Misses Maple In scarlet… Read more »
The Nature Preschool welcomes Fall with open arms! We have embarked on many adventures to discover the changes that are occurring as the weather begins to cool down. Have you seen the leaves begin to change? Have you noticed the animals collecting food for the winter? Last week our classes were able to sport their… Read more »
Fall is here and the Nature Preschool at Irvine is eager to explore the beginning signs of our new season! What do you think can be found in nature during fall? In our classrooms we introduced some clues. Crunchy leaves, hickory nuts and dried cornstalks were added to our discovery tables! We added feathers, acorns… Read more »
It can be scary for students and parents when the first day of school arrives. There are many new faces, routines and expectations. While there’s no way to eliminate first day jitters altogether, we were grateful that families participated in Monday’s Preschool Family Orientation. This gentle starts offers a glimpse into our routine (EX. signing… Read more »
We discovered the amazing habits of crows and their behavior in fall. We also thought about the relationship between farmers and crows with scarecrow-making. Notice all the play opportunity and skill development taking place while using loose parts to make a huge nest, climbing on hay bales, sorting feathers, drawing birds, making pine cone crows, using feathers… Read more »
We continued to examine nature’s bounty in fall. We considered all the foods that are harvested from farms as well as the hard work farmers do to harvest this food.
From seed to vine we examined pumpkins and other fall fruits. We visited a pumpkin patch, too! Children loved pumpkin bowling, dissecting gourds, floating the fruits in water, and experimenting with pumpkin seeds.
We explored fall seeds this week – it was NUTS! We discovered the creatures that rely on acorns, hickory and walnuts as they prepare for winter. We loved playing squirrel games, making acorn paintings and searching for fall clues during our hikes.
As the forest bustles with fall changes, we turn our thoughts to what trees do in autumn. Some of our favorite tree investigations this week included acorn and leaf printing, rubbings made on tree rings, outdoor leaf play, and tree exploration in the rain. “Mother Nature Did you Sneeze” and “I’m a Nut” were favorite songs. Notice all the… Read more »
What is a community? What jobs do people and animals do in a community? Children learned all about communities at Irvine Nature Center – on the trails, in the classroom, and with jobs that special people do at our Center. Children loved meeting the grounds crew and seeing the amazing tools they use to care… Read more »
