"Today at dawn there twinkled through
The pearly mist a flash of blue
So dazzling bright I thought the sky
Shone through the rifted clouds on high,
Till, by and by,
A note so honey sweet I heard
I knew that bright flash was a bird!"
(The Bluebird, by Evaleen Stein)
We walked
carefully.
Small, soft steps taking us
s l o w l y forward.
Towards the bird we had spotted.
A bright-coloured parrot
swiftly clawing its way up a tree.
Green,
red and
blue feathers contrasting against the dullness of the leaves.
We
watched patiently until it reached the top.
The kookaburra's laugh cut through the morning's stillness.
Catching our attention, our heads turned.
We stood and
listened.
Our smiles
large as they revealed themselves sitting on a nearby branch.
Swooping down to feed on worms - their beaks a powerful tool.
Watching.
Listening.
My three-year-old son, full of questions, began to
talk...
And so today's activities flowed from here. Once home, we got out a
big piece of paper and drew a simple tree. On each branch we drew one of the five birds we'd spotted today.
(Having the laptop in front of us with images of each helped us draw very basic outlines). We
discussed the special features we'd observed.
Little hands then found coloured paper that matched his
observations. These were cut out and glued on. Then each bird was labelled.
 |
| A kookaburra. |
 |
| A parrot. |
Our activities are often inspired by what we observe
outside in nature. But even on days that are spent indoors, we continue these discussions. My son's love of sharks led him to choose a book about these from the library this week. After reading it together, we decided to make a shark collage. Using a picture in the book, we outlined a
large shark. Some old newspapers (grey-coloured like the shark) were cut into small squares and glued on. Shiny black and white paper was found in an old magazine and cut out to make black gill slits and an eye, and white fin tips and teeth. Blue paper was cut into swirly wave shapes and added at the end.
The quiet focus of the activity allowed us to
talk...
about nature.
A shark is a pet
that you don't want to get.
There is nothing less fun than a shark.
He doesn't have fur,
He won't cuddle or purr,
and he never takes walks in the park.
(From the poem, A Shark is a Pet, by Kenn Nesbitt)
"Children are born naturalists.
They explore the world with all of their senses, experiment in the environment, and communicate their discoveries to those around them."
(The Audubon Nature Preschool)
