Nature Walk
It was a beautiful brisk autumn day and the energy in the classroom was quite dynamic. What a perfect occasion for a nature walk in the Pine Grove. After second circle, we informed the children that we were headed out for an adventure in the forest. The children giggled with excitement. Before hitting the trails, we asked our preschool friends to help remind each other some of our nature walk rules. Hands flew up in the air and the children shared “walking feet” and “quiet voices so we don’t scare the animals”.
The trees were glowing with sunlit colorful leaves. The children were ecstatic. “I heard a bird” and “I saw a chickmunk” were overheard from the little ones. One child pointed out an old rotten tree and we all stopped to inspect it. A teacher invited the children to touch the tree and asked, “What do you think may have happened to this tree?” The responses were thoughtful and creative. One quiet voice suggested, “Maybe bugs ate it”. Another child announced, “A storm did that!” What a great inquisitive conversation was had as the children found wonder in something so ordinary.
“We cannot create observers by saying ‘observe’, but by giving them the power and the means for this observation and these means are procured through education of the senses.”
–Maria Montessori
