Twin Ponds Field Trip

It was a bright, sunny winter day, ideal for a FH filed trip! We went to Twin Ponds today and had a great time exploring. After a good test of the playground eqipment, rain pants + slides = heaps of fun! We went over to the ponds to check out the scene:

While snacking we enjoyed watching mallards, cormorants, and other local birds who visit this spot.

 As we continued on around the ponds we stopped to explore the banks frequently, and to fish too of course.

And to stop for a rest:

Then we were off again, this time it was to, "Come on guys, hup 2, 3, 4!"

Then, after our fun trip some kiddos were so tired out they had to nap in the swings:

Silly kids!

Animals in Winter/Baby Dinosaurs in the Woods

Today was one of those lovely days outside, grey and wet, we haven't actually had very many like that this session yet, but you'd have never guessed it was anything but sunny in the world of 4 little Froggy Holler students. While today's topic was "Animals in Winter" and "Hibernation" in particular, we spent just as much time in "The Dinosaur Age!" I read my books, shared poems and such, and the kids really clued into the seasons of the year that are associated with hibernation as learned from our seasons talk a few weeks back. But as we climbed, "a mountain" on our way to the big fort Q came across a rock which he identified as an oviraptor egg, which he promptly sat on. 

He then suggested we were in charge of protecting it and brought it along to the fort. There it was sat on again, and then left aside as we played, snacked, and went back to reading books on animals in winter. 

Then there was some super Ivy instructional lessons on flying,

followed by some keeping hands warm techniques while walking. 

Then we were off on more adventures in the dinosaur age on our way to sliding rock. There we found a wet rock and rain pants make the rock even more fun, 

 

Q then led the group in a new dino game of making a nest for a baby triceratops. The whole group really worked at this together gathering fir branches and some remains of maple leaves (we noted how they are really falling apart and all brown now). 

As we all hunkered down in the finished nest A stood guard for us (he was a roaring tiger, then a T rex). While he was out there he noticed the "smoke" from his breath, so we got to talk all about evaporation!

 

And before you know it it was time to head back to the shelter. It wasn't your average journey back though, more of an adventure itself as we were all in a herd of triceratops with our horns pointed down to aim at the mean dinosaurs. Miss. I. held tight to our tiny baby dinosaur the whole way! Back at the shelter we were in the present again and worked on our journals, and animals tracks page. 

What an exciting day!