Preschool Explorers Discover Sand Pond Woodlands
Reflections by Andrea Higgins, photos by Gerry Beetham
A sunny breezy bright blue-sky morning greeted the Preschool Explorers and their caregivers at the Sand Pond Woodlands this morning.
We started our morning exploration reading the delightful book WONDER WALKERS by Micha Archer. We walked while chatting about and celebrating nature’s beauty as we headed to a perfectly placed picnic table.
Facts about White-tailed Deer were especially interesting including their habitat, shelter, food, features, and tracks. After learning the White-tailed Deer’s stride, we played a game of pretending to grow four legs, white tails, large deer ears, fur and antlers. To remind us what deer tracks look like, the enthusiastic group sponge-painted deer tracks on a paper.
The energetic youngsters found mallard ducks and evidence of coyote, fox, river otter and great blue heron! Cozied up with their caregivers on a fallen tree, the attentive listeners heard the story HOW TO FIND A FOX written by Kate Gardner.
Joyful explorers climbed hills and balanced on logs. They admired lichens and mosses and the different patterns of bark on trees.
We circled around on the pine needle covered path back to the picnic table and made another deer craft. We traced our hands and turned them into deer pictures. The adventure continued along the beautiful trails while sharing smiles and laughter and pondering the many mysteries of nature. Thank you Preschool Explorers and caregivers for sharing a morning of wonder and wanderings. I hope to see you next week on the Winter Solstice.
