Explore concepts and information related to the earth, including ways to take care of our planet.
In this lesson, the children will examine water as it evaporates over time.
If you’ve been fortunate enough to visit The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois, or driven by the Arboretum on Interstate 88, you may have spotted Joe the Guardian, a 20-foot-tall, spear-wielding troll peering down at the passing cars from atop his grassy berm. Joe is just one of six towering troll statues created by […]
“LOOK!” screams a four-year-old with such joy that we know this isn’t a garden-variety “I want to share something with you” moment. As the gang rushes to her side, they come to a complete standstill, frozen in awe. Oh happy day! Some kind souls have shared a fort with the community! There before us […]
“Look! The snow packs! Let’s make a snowman!” Today’s sunshine and rising temperatures have transformed yesterday’s powdery snow into packable fun—ushering in an afternoon of playful math and science learning. These are the times when I love to pull out my camera to document the many foundation-building moments that find their way into our play. […]
“I see the daddy cardinal, do you know where the mama bird is?” Four-year-old Noah, binoculars in hand, is busy counting birds in our outdoor classroom. Are you aware that the annual Great Backyard Bird Count is coming up later this week? This is a great opportunity to create a bird-watching station and knock out […]
“AAAAUUUUGHHHHHHH! Worms! Look, look! They are everywhere!” Eleanor is jumping up and down hysterically. Nothing will bring our crew running faster than a good worm sighting! Let the earthworm exploration begin. We love worms! Last spring, we witnessed an unusual natural phenomenon as a mass of earthworms wiggled out of their subterranean homes in […]
“I smell cinnamon rolls!” exclaims Henry as he races through the gate towards our outdoor classroom. Everyone stops what they are doing to inhale deeply. “I do too! I want a cinnamon roll!” pleads Noah. My group is quite disappointed to learn that I am not baking cinnamon rolls this morning. The delicious cinnamon-roll smell […]
“Hey everybody! Look at all of the tomatoes that are ripe today!” shouts Jacob to the gang. “Can we eat them for lunch? Can we?” asks Lucus. “Can we eat them now?” pleads Elizabeth. It’s early September and preschoolers around the country are learning about apples, but we have tomatoes at our fingertips. The same […]
“It’s a murmuration! Hurry everybody, come look!” Five-year-old Elizabeth is jumping up and down, joyfully shouting for her friends to share in the delight of her discovery. Have you ever seen a “murmuration” of birds? It is such a magical and mesmerizing sight that it will stay in your memory bank forever. “Starling murmurations” are […]
In this lesson, you can use scraps from your kitchen to quickly and easily regrow lettuce for your children to observe, investigate and enjoy as a snack.
“Did the lettuce sprout today?” asks Jamie as he enters the classroom, heading over to our classroom “scrap garden” to see for himself without stopping to take off his coat. “It has!” squeals Evelyn, her eyes wide with excitement. “You won’t believe how high it has grown!” Our investigation into scrap gardening has clearly […]
In this lesson, students will learn about items that can be recycled and why this is important to protect the earth.
In this lesson, children will conduct their own science experiments by mixing loose parts with water.
“Hey! How did you make that sound?” Elizabeth comes running over to see what four-year-old Vera is up to. “I’m popping the flowers!” Vera replies. “It’s so fun!” Popping hosta flowers or opening the jaw of a snapdragon flower is a skill that has been passed down from child to child for decades in our […]
“Look, the snow packs! Let’s make some snow people!” The sunshine and rising temperatures have transformed yesterday’s powdery snow into packable fun for an afternoon of playful math and science learning. This is a great time to pull out your camera to document the many foundation-building moments that find their way into winter play. This […]
“Thalhah, can you bring me that rock over there? I think it is just the right size we need.” Noelle points to a long, narrow golden rock. “Okay, but this rock is really heavy!” Thalhah grunts as he carefully lifts the large river rock from one area of our rain garden and carries it over […]
In this lesson, children will design and build a strong house that will not be “blown away”
In this lesson, children will design and build using materials found in nature.