Nature Camp Day 1: Nature Awareness

Today was our first day of Nature camp! We had a wonderful time and began the day with some coloring.

The toddlers enjoyed exploring some sensory bins using scoops and magnets. 

Once all our friends arrived, we gathered to explore some nature treasures.

These treasures are from the garden: a pinecone, stick with lichen, a pine branch with pine needles, pine bark, a feather, a snail shell, a rock and a miniature pine cone. The next set of treasures were particularly exciting!

We examined an alligator snapping turtle shell (and talked about the top- carapace and the bottom- plastron), a snake skin (and talked about how snakes shed their skin), a bluebird nest, a wasp nest and a variety of animal teeth (including an alligator, shark, beaver and a deer hoof).

This chickadee nest sparked some good conversation on how differently birds create their nests. The children had fun identifying the moss, lint and animal hair that were woven together to make this cozy nest. The toddlers enjoyed reading the book 'In the Nest.' 

Also in the box were various feathers, a small snake skin, and different types of animal teeth. Pictured above on the right is a beaver's tooth! 

We also enjoyed going outside together to listen to all of the nature (and non-nature) sounds we could hear. We heard a variety of birds, an airplane, a leaf blower to name a few.

Before we knew it, it was snack time! Our snack today was trailmix and we made it by going on a scavenger hunt in the building to find each ingredients. 

After that it was time to play outside! Here is an aluminum foil 'river' we made. The children enjoyed floating leaves, sticks and other objects from the garden down the river. 

We also had fun painting with shaving cream and paint. It is a great sensory experience! Washing off in the sprinklers and pool was a fun way to end the morning. 

We also made our tie-dye shirts and can't wait to see how they turned out! We left them soaking overnight to make sure the colors are as bright as possible. 

A wonderful time was had by all and we are looking forward to tomorrow where we will explore the world of ants!