Tapping our maple tree and learning about bees

This last week we had two special guest instructors. First we had visitors from the nature center come to tap our maple tree in the front yard! We learned about features of maple trees and how to identify them, plus did some tree yoga to demonstrate what their branches look like. Then the naturalists taught us about we collect sap from maple trees, showed us the tools they used, and gave us some maple syrup to sample! We had to guess which was syrup from a tree and which was made from other ingredients such as corn sugar. The sap wasn't running that day but when we went back out for Forest Friday it was so the kids got to try it. 

For the past several weeks we've had weekly guests come from our local farm-to-school organization to teach us about nutrition and where our food comes from. This week they brought a beekeeper in who taught us about how he takes care of bees using a smoker and protective gear, as well as how bees take care of each other, pollinate plants, and make honey. We also got to try honey with some local radishes! It wasn't supposed to be combined but some kids put the honey on their radishes and ended up liking it :)

Fall party

We had a great fall party last week! Thanks to all the parents and family members who sent in treats or volunteered to help. We played Pin the Spider on the Web and fall bingo, painted fall trees, and ate lots of yummy treats. Here are some pictures!

Fall projects

We've been doing lots of fall projects this month, despite a big snowfall in our area! Below are some learning activities we've been working on.

We've been reading lots of fall books, drawing and tracing leaves, decorating paper pumpkins, and doing pumpkin math games.

We did an art project painting leaves with water color and sharpie. These turned out beautiful and so unique!

Each Friday we have Forest Friday with our first grade buddies. This week we observed changes from the last time we were out there - due to the snow, there were lots of changes!

We had the Ally Walk, where we learn about the word "ally," read books and have discussions about what it means to be one, and participate in our school-wide rally to promote a safe space at our school for all people. Below are some pictures from the march around our neighborhood, as well as the posters the kids made.

Si Se Puede is an awesome event put on in our school to honor Hispanic Heritage Month. We had two readers come from the high school to read us a book in Spanish and English which was really fun!