Spring is Here
Originally published April 22nd
I hope that this finds you all enjoying a good break. Spring in Vermont is a changeable time, with sudden sunny warmth one hour and blowy snow the next. While green things and flowers gather their energy and get ready to spring forth, we have been focusing on small, quiet things that live close to the awakening soil, or even in it.
Two weeks ago we finished our amphibian unit with a study of salamanders. We read Salamander Sky, The Salamander Room, A Big Night for Salamanders and The Secret Pool. We made salamander habitats, we pretended to be salamanders awakening from our winter slumber to go find our vernal pools. We acted out salamander migrations and life cycles. We made salamanders out of popsicle sticks and helped them cross the road. We went to the Equinox Pond and found real spotted salamander eggs in a vernal pool adjacent to the pond. It was so sweet to witness with the children these special and delicate eggs, from such a secretive creature. They were all attached to a stick, hidden in the dead leaves under clear, cold water in a vernal pool. I carefully scooped them out in a tub so that we could get a closer look. The eggs were gelatinous and lightly violet in color, just like in our stories. We could imagine well the dark and rainy nighttime journey that the parents took to leave them there. We sent our caring feelings to the baby salamanders and wished them health and happiness in their journey ahead before placing them carefully back in the pool. It was pretty special.
Last week we began our study of soil and soil creatures. We read Wiggling Worms at Work, Carl and the Meaning of Life, and Dirt; The Scoop on Soil. We learned about the important work that worms are doing to support all life on earth, we pretended to be worms, and we dug holes and found real worms and other soil invertebrates. We studied the different ingredients of soil; humus, silt, clay, sand and rocks and pebbles. We took soil samples from the garden and from the forest, and swirled them in jars of water. After they settled we could see the different layers and compare them. On Thursday we read The Street Beneath Our Feet, which is a dynamic book which unfolds vertically and takes us on a journey from the surface of the earth down to the molten core. It's pretty amazing! We made a 3-D playdough art project representing the layers of the earth, then we cut it open to reveal the magma within. It was fun! We also did some mud finger painting and we made dirt pudding. We read our recipe and measured and counted out ingredients together. It called for humus, soil invertebrates, microbes, sand, silt, clay and water. The ingredients were quite like cocoa, chopped dates, chia, salt and oat milk. Blend it all up and voila! Dirt pudding.
Lately we have enjoyed hearing wood frogs, peepers, spring bird song, and the wind in the branches. We can see fish in the pond, and we have watched the ice all go out, then come back in briefly, and then go out again. We have found coltsfoot and celandine sprouting up. We can see the buds swelling on the trees. We have even seen a few little bees. So many changes so quickly this time of year, it's good to be outside to try and catch them.
Next week we will continue with dirt and soil as we get the garden started. We'll be doing lots of shovelling and digging as we amend the soil and plant early crops. We'll put in peas, potatoes, fava beans and maybe some carrots this week. We'll also be talking about compost, decomposition, and we'll be starting a worm compost for the classroom.
The weather is looking pretty spring-like but sometimes rainy for the next week. Rain pants to start the day will probably be a good idea every day next week. Keep the layers going and keep checking for ticks!