October 2019 - Students are all ‘tooled’ up for Fall

If you read the September Nature Immersion blog then you know ACES purchased a lot of new resources and tools for the outdoor program last school year. This blog is dedicated to how some of these new learning tools are being used in the nature immersion program. Here’s a few highlights:

Magnifying sheets and fall story books: 

• The grade 1’s, literally, got up close and personal with nature this fall. During their Fall Equinox program, they first heard an oral story about the balance of light and dark and then they got active doing numerous ‘balance’ activities. After this active play, the class was ready for some focused nature ‘work’.  They were inspired by the storybook “Looking Closely Through the Forest” and were ready to do their part. We presented them with their brand new nature tool...giant magnifying sheets! That was all they needed to head into the forest and look closely. These are not the magnifying glasses you remember from your youth. These ‘sheets’ magnify a large area and are ideal for little hands and deep exploration. They also provide great giggles when they are brought up to your face!

Hammers and magnifying loupes

• The grade 2/3 class had a smashing good time during their rock exploration this fall. With their new geology (read cheap, light, construction) hammers they were able to smash (safely in a sock), sort, and classify rocks found along the Bow River. Unlike the magnifying sheets used above these students then used powerful magnifying loupes to closely observe the sediments and crystals found in the rocks. These loupes provide great detail for the tiniest of nature’s treasures. 

Leaf sifters, simple white sheets and soil corers

• The grade 3/4 class was exploring how nature recycles and they wanted to know what happened to all the leaves in the fall. They really shook things up with the new leaf sifters (wooden trays with mesh bottoms). They were curious to see what insects and decomposers were living within the leaf litter and this was made possible by the simple yet magnificent use of large white sheets (or plastic shower curtains cut to size). The ability to watch tiny creatures crawling around on a white background is quite exciting, for all. As they explored how nature recycles deeper they plunged under the leaves to take a closer look at the soil. This was made possible by the purchase of really cool soil corers and the students really ‘dug it’! 

Googly Eyes and Compasses

• The grade 2/3 class was exploring magnets this fall. We had the guiding question “what metals are attracted to magnets around our schoolyard”. Students were given googly eyes and rocks, both fixed with magnets on the back, as well as a piece of chalk. Their task was to test metals by making ‘faces’ on random objects. Hilarious creations were made on the fire hydrant, gaga ball pit, metal posts, and water drains. They also learned that they could NOT make a face on the aluminum slide on the playground, however, the rope web was attracted to the magnets! After learning about magnets in our schoolyard they heard an oral story about the first magnetic rock turned into a compass. This was the inspiration for exploring the new nature tool...compasses! During this exploration, they discovered that our whole earth is one gigantic magnet. 
  
  

Scientific tools are just that, a ‘tool’. They are not meant to distract from the nature immersion experience but rather to enrich the time spent outdoors. In the right situation, I believe that they add value in allowing students to become real explorers. They are learning how to properly care for their tools and that play toys are different. Our goal is to help children deepen their observations, strengthen their nature connection, have playful learning experiences, and build inquiry as they continue to connect to their ‘place’. Thank-you, again, ACES, for investing in the nature immersion program and outdoor learning materials.