Old man winter stretched out his freezing cold fingers again this week, so we weren't able to get outside during our classtime, however the plan is once again to do this next week! This week we spent some time in class brainstorming the signs of spring. Also this week, my lesson was lacking in an in-class activity, simply because my week was unbelieveably crazy and I wasn't able to pull one together in time. However you will find an activity in the nature challenge for the week.
Literature Resources:
Spring (Nature Projects for Every Season)
Explore Spring: 25 Great Ways to Learn About Spring (Explore Your World series)
Everything for Spring: An Early Childhood Curriculum Activity Book
It's Spring
Spring Things
Spring (Simply Science)
(I will be coming back to this post to add more spring books later)
Class Starter:
Read Solomon 2:11-13 and discussed
11 See! The winter is past;
the rains are over and gone.
12 Flowers appear on the earth;
the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
is heard in our land.
13 The fig tree forms its early fruit;
the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
my beautiful one, come with me."
Read quote from Our Birds and Their Nestlings: "It is springtime, and the old earth has awakened from her long winter nap. Songs of gladness greet her everywhere as she throws off the snowy blanket that has covered her through the dreary, cold days and long, silent nights of winter. She hears the gentle patter of raindrops which call from their hiding places the bloodroots and the violets. A sunny smile lights up her face as the birds chirp their songs of welcome to the spring."
Questions to be Answered: What is Phenology? What are some signs of spring?
1) What is Phenology?
Phenology is the study of the seasonal timing of life cycle events. You are studying phenology when your record the date a certain plant flowers, a tree's leaves emerge, an insect hatches, or a migratory bird appears on it's nesting grounds. The dates on which these happen each year are affected by factors such as daylength, temperature, and rainfall.
Journey North has a wonderful website where students can learn more about phenology and even report their sightings, and much, much more!
2) Bible Lesson
What does spring make you think of and feel like? Perhaps freshness, newness, new birth, new beginnings, coming back to life. To me it is symbollic of the resurrection of Jesus - read Matthew 28:1-10 and discuss. Let us rejoice this time of year as we remember this.
3) Signs of Spring and Notebook Entries
First, we brainstormed a list of the signs of spring up on the whiteboard, and the students wrote the list in their notebooks as we brainstormed. Then the students, if they wanted to, drew a spring scene in their notebooks as well.
4) Nature Challenge
RESEARCH - PHENOLOGY
This week in class we learned about what phenology is. Simply put, Phenologists study the changes in living things during the changes of seasons. When we are looking for signs of spring and making note of them, we are being Phenologists!! Your challenge is to link to the following and read the "History of Phenology" section.
Come to class prepared to answer the following question:
What two scientists are accredited with being the "fathers" of modern plant phenology?
OUTSIDE NATURE WALK
With your parent's permission, sometime this week take a nature walk. On this walk be a Phenologist, looking for the signs of spring wherever you are (even if you live in a busy area, there will be signs of spring if you look closely). Take along a piece of paper and pencil on your walk and keep a list of the signs of spring that you see (see below for our list we made in class). Feel free to draw pictures or take photos. On your walk, with your parent's permission, clip a small branch from a tree or bush that has buds on it, and bring it back inside to place in a vase of water. Watch it over the next several days and observe what happens with the buds.
Signs of Spring List:
Buds on trees and plants
Blooms on flowers
Birds migrating back
Birds singing more loudly (you'll especially hear this in the early morning hours)
Baby animals
Frogs and toads singing
Groundhogs emerging
More daylight (sun rising earlier and setting later)
Insects
Smell of spring
Rising temperatures
Earthworms emerging
Ground thawing
Grass greening
Owls singing at night
Woodpeckers drumming
Birds carrying twigs and other materials to build nests
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Posted by Dana @ School For Us 
Posted by 
Mar. 15, 2009 - Untitled Comment
I wanted to let you know i am having a little competition on my blog:
http://raisinglittleshoots.blogspot.com/2009/03/spring-time-fun-competition.html
LX