You can see that we are working hard to draw with realistic detail AND to hear more of the sounds in our words.

In Real Life (and, bonus, you can see the tree that has been excavated by woodpeckers over the years in the background!)

Our little woodpecker close up. We learned today about the difference between male and female woodpeckers. This one is a male because of the red on the back of his head.

This was our second time at our Sit Spots. We used a string (which you can see in the picture) to measure a tree near or at our Sit Spot. We then used these in math to compare with a ruler and a yardstick. We discovered that we have a lot of large trees in our woods and fewer small trees.

At our Phonics station, we started working on an alphabet chart for the woods. Part of our work right now as Word Scientists is to study not just one alphabet chart, but lots of different ones. Ms. Atkins & Mrs. Johnson did some further research to come up with objects for a few more letters, but we were still stuck on “z” and “u.” If anyone has an idea, pass it along!

Hunter’s Sit Spot

Vincent and Mrs. Gray lying in his Sit Spot.

Amelie and Gemma using a “drill” that they’d made out of a stump!

Leon found a new way to climb little trees with tiny branches poking out.

And then Noel climbed a HUGE oak. He found a hole where squirrels or maybe chipmunks might live. When he thought he couldn’t get down, Braxton brought him a “ladder” (really a big stick!) to try and help.

We discovered a new big log to climb on today. Beyond it was a tiny stream (mostly mud, but it was still exciting!). We didn’t play near the mud because we didn’t have Grundens on today.

The log in real life color.

“Think of one thing you played and one thing you noticed in nature today. Hand on your head when you are ready to tell your partner.”

Nora: “Leaf and acorn.” You can see the rain all around.

Hayden: “I found a grasshopper. He jumped off Jackson’s hand.” He wrote a “G” for grasshopper and you can see the circles where the grasshopper was jumping down.

Jack: “We were playing in the den.” He labeled “River” “Jack” and “Logan”

Our shared writing. Labels: “tree,” “clouds,” “rain,” “leaves,” “boots,” and “stream.”

Laurel: “We found worms in their houses.” (Under logs, which you can see in her drawing). She labeled worms with “w”s and you can see how the arrows show where they live and how the log goes back down.

Astrid: “Roly-poly under a magnifying glass.” We found a lot of these under logs (roly-polies, pill bugs, sow bugs, isopods, whatever you call them!) and Astrid chose to draw hers zoomed in.

Rowen’s Forest Journal. You can see where he labeled with the beginning sounds! 

The apple tree by the garden is still providing tasty apples. We look for ones that aren’t mushy! And we are careful of the yellow jackets who are still enjoying apples too.

“Sleeping Hare” is a game that gives us practice being quiet and still in the woods. Can you see Hayden peeking out from behind these leaves?

One group of Forest Kids was digging out an underground home.

Another group of Forest Kids was a family of bunnies.

Our shared writing. We learned about this rain gear and how to put it on and take it off today.

Emilia’s writing: “I was playing on a log and pretending it was a unicorn.” You can see where she wrote her friends’ names who were playing with her.

Jack: “We were digging an underground hole.” You can see where he wrote Lyndon’s name and an “M” for “me” and “an M for him too” (as he described).

Silas: “I was fighting a monster with Hayden and Emilia.” He wrote his friends’ names using the word wall too!

Today all the kindergarteners were together for the first full Forest Monday. We all fit around the fire circle!

We pretended we were chipmunks and gathered food for the winter, like pinecones.

We wear blaze orange throughout the fall to be extra safe.

Jackson: “I was a Power Ranger and I was climbing a tree.”

Laurel: “We were sitting around the fire circle eating lunch.”

Nora: “We played queens together.” She labeled “Amelie, Kendall, and Gemma.”

The apple tree near the garden has great-tasting fruit. Rowen found a drop that was in good shape! 

Nora and Lyndon navigating the ravine, with backpacks this time! 

We pretended to be animals and built their homes today. Amelie was a deer and this is her bed. 

Logan and Hayden were coyotes and worked on the roof of this den.

Emilia was a bird and built a nest. 

With Miss Karen, kids worked on counting to five and collecting plants that were the same (and then different). 

With Mrs. Y, kids worked on phonics (the letters M and S).

Jackson found this strange caterpillar with eyespots. I thought maybe it was a swallowtail??

Fairy house builders – Laurel, Nora, and Amelie. 

Lyndon: “I played Power Rangers with my friends.” He wrote “me” and “P” for “Power Rangers.” You can clearly see the different colors! 

The documentation of the fairy house building by Amelie. You can see where she labeled “me” and “Nora” with the first letter.

Laurel: “I made a bird nest.” You can see where she is also writing letters around her picture. The bird nest is in the top left by the “M” for “me.”

Gemma: “I made a bed out of logs.” I think the G is for her, and maybe the S is for Silas? 

Our class shared writing. We all helped draw the pictures. It was important that we found poison ivy and talked about what it looks like so we don’t play in it! 

Of course we did a LOT of climbing. Apple trees really are the perfect trees for climbing.

Hunter E.

Kendall

Jack and Nathaniel, with help from others (like Jacob) built a fort!

The fort quickly turned into an applesauce factory.

We collected a lot of apples, and Jackson, Hayden, and Braxton found it hilarious to try and walk on them– resulting in a lot of falling down!

Jacob was trying to cut a root for Leon and Noel with his chopping tool.

Vinnie went fishing with his stick.

Then we hike further on our trail for a loop back to school. These kids did great on their first crossing of “The Big Ravine”

Hayden: “Me carrying some apples.” The apples are the big circles all around him. You can see below where he is learning to write his name.

Jack: “Me climbing trees. And all the kids are playing in the grass.” Jack figured out that there were 14 kids in our class but he realized he ended up with more than 14 kids drawn here! He did an “M” for me and started to write other words too.

Hunter: “The goats and the troll.” We are very into playing The Three Billy Goats Gruff! And you can see the hills of our woods in his picture.

Astrid: “Me and Clara making soup.” She started to write and finished on the back.