This project has given me the opportunity to document the learning activities that my class has had in science through the months of September to December. I feel that my class was able to look at different aspects in nature in an important way. It has allowed my students to explore how the seasons effect animals and trees on a first hand basis.  My students were able to  learn about and observe the animal habitats of many animals that live in the forest.

We learned about the habitat of the Gray Squirrel, and the children were able to observe the habitat and then recreate a copy of this in the classroom. Each student made a model of a squirrel drey using a paper bag and leaves, pinecones and other materials we found at our observation site.

The class was also able to look at pictures and information, we gathered at this site, to make concrete observations about how the seasons impact a trees growing cycle. Through comparisons of all the information we collected,  the children were able to see changes that the trees and the ground went through over the two seasons of summer and fall.

Our class observation site went through a dramtic change from early September to the end of November.

 Our class observations site:

September

Beginning of November

 

 This project enabled me to integrate science into many other areas of the curriculum in the following way:

During writing  the children had the opportunity to write detailed observations they made at the site. This allowed the children to practice  writing facts with a lot of details.

During math the class was able to  use measurement to measure a lot of the items we have gathered at our site such as leaves, animals, and rocks.

I think that many of my students do not get the opportunity to explore the outside. It was fascinating to hear the observations and questions that my students came up with each time we went outside to visit our site.

Unfortunately, last week our site was clear-cut and is now a construction zone. Most of the trees were removed in order to build a new playground. My class will not be able to visit the site over the next few months because the area is now a construction zone.  This playground project was briefly discussed at only a couple of meetings in the town and the people of the community were not given anytime to question or inquire about the changes that would take place. The land is conservation land and abuts wetlands,so it is surprizing that a project of this magnitude could happen so quickly.

The pictures below reflect some of the changes that happened at this site in one day.

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The day the trucks and chippers arrived at the school, one of my students looked at me, and said “Mrs.Ferrara,  what is going to happen to the squirrel nests and the trees they used for  their shelter? Where will the squirrels go?” What do you say to a six-year-old child who asks you these questions?  Especially after I realize how many animals were displaced that day.

The children had additional questions: “What happened to my observation tree?”  “How will I see the changes it goes through in the winter ?”

I would like to continue to use this area to study the habitat of other animals, and I still would like to use this site as a place where my class can  learn about wetlands and vernal pools. I plan on teaching about these concepts in the spring. Hopefully all the construction will be complete, and I will be able to bring my class back out to do more  nature observations and learning.

Eastern Gray Squirrel

    November 9, 2009                                           

Weather Report:

 Temperature: 63°F  

Wind: From SSW at 10 mph  

Dew Point: 47°F  

 Geographical Features and Ecosystems found in the Kunde Forest  

After we develop a map of our site, the class will spend  time looking at the geographical features we can find in the Kunde Forest. I thought it would be important to concentrate on some of these features because they may not show up on a map, and it is very important to understand how geographical features can impact what type of plants grow and animals live in an area.  The lesson about geographical features will be divided up into two different categories: Landforms and Ecosystems.  There will be many lessons covering each category.

This week the class began studying about  Ecosystems that can be found in the Kunde Forest.

This week the class began learning about the Gray Squirrel. This week we concentrated on learning about the habitat of this animal. Learning about the habitat of this animal will  directly relate to the geographical forest feature that covers our observation area. The class learned that a squirrel is a living thing. The students learned that to be able to survive a squirrel needs many things in their habitat: food, water, shelter and air. Without the geographical feature of the forest the gray squirrel would not be able to find shelter or food.

The class went on a hike into the forest looking for a Squirrel and in search of an example of a drey which is the nest that the gray squirrel builds and uses for shelter.

We were unable to find a squirrel to observe, but we used many picture/science books in the classroom to help us learn about this animal

We were lucky enough to be able to find an example of a squirrel drey. The children were hoping to see a squirrel in the leaf nest, but to finding the nest was also exciting.

The children collected leaves and sticks to bring back to the classroom. Each student will construct a replica of a drey using what they found on our nature walk.

In October, the class  found a tree-toad which is another animal that is part of the ecosystem of the Kunde Forest. The day we went for our exploration walk, November 9,  we were not able to locate any toads. The class predicted that the reason that we could not find any toads was because it was too cold and many of  the toads have buried themselves in the mud for the winter. The class will use this question as a guided inquiry question over the next couple of weeks. We will try to figure out were the toads have gone.  

  In the spring some of the other parts of the ecosystem that we will focus on are: plant life that the area has : wild blueberries, White Pine trees, Swamp Maples, Poison Ivy and different types of fungus and mushrooms. The class will make connections to these things with the type of geographical features that make up our area.

  Over the next few months the class will also observe the different landforms that are part of the geographical features of the Kunde Forest. The following are some of the different land forms the class will learn about.

Landforms:  

The most dominant feature found in our observation area is a forest terrain. The majority of the area is a forest, but the area we used for most of our class observations is a dry, clear path area.  

This site also has many hill formations:  

The class will learn what a hill is and how it impacts an area. Also, what kind of animals habitat a hilly wooded areas and hilly grassy areas.

Hilly grassy areas

The site also contains an area of wetlands and a vernal pool. In the spring, the class will observe how this vernal pool changes with the weather.

We will learn how the rain changes this area of the forest, and how the changes in this pool affect the animal life. The class will learn how important vernal pools are to our environment and how it impacts the ecosystem.

Vernal pool in September and October

Kousa Dog Wood tree - Autumn leaves

Weather Report: October 26, 2009

Temperature: 61°F

Sunny

Wind: From ESE at 4 mph

Dew Point: 41° F

Our class has been learning about the changes that a tree goes through during the different seasons. This week the class will focus on changes  that some trees go through during the autumn season.

   I read the book: I am a Leaf by Jean Marzollo and Illustrated by Judith Moffatt.

 This book describes different things that a tree needs to survive, and how the changes in the seasons affect some trees.

Some of the key learning points were: How does the sun, air and water help the tree? What is Chlorophyll?  What are the different changes a tree goes through during each season? How do animals  use a tree as a habitat or a food source?

 Some of the key points that I focused on this week were: Why a tree needs rainwater to make tree food. How rainwater goes into the soil and into the trees root system then up into the treea trunk and leaves. I described the roots as the trees veins which are like little pipes.  The class also learned how leaves turn into soil. How the soil holds roots and water, and how some animals use a tree for sleeping in their dens.

The class then looked at the soil that we find in the Kunde Forest around some of the trees that we are using as our seasonal observation trees.

The class learned that soil is a  thin layer on the surface of the Earth and it’s where plants have their roots. We discussed that soil is made up of many things like rock particles and decayed plant and animal matter. The class learned that it takes a long time for soil to form. Sometimes more than a thousand years.

This is what we observed and discovered about the soil around our observation site:

The students describe the soil as:

• Soft and fluffy, a little dusty.
• When we took a handful of soil and squeezed it in our hands it didn’t stick together. It crumbled apart.
• We also took several sticks and pushed them into the ground. The sticks were easy to get into the ground. The sticks were easy to take out. The soil did not stick to the stick when we pulled it out.
• The soil was brown and it looked like there were little things in it like small splinters.
• When we poured water on to the  soil in our observation spot. The water sunk into the ground quickly.

After we examined our soil, the class did some research to try to classify the soil we observed.

This is what we learned:

We would classify the soil we observed and explored as:

Peaty Soil
Peaty soil occurs in fen or boggy areas.

• Peat is composed of excessive quantities of humus and is associated with water-logging.
• This kind of soil is basically formed by the accumulation of dead and decayed organic matter.
• It is described as humus.
• It is found in marshy areas.
• This kind of soil is formed in wet climates.
• Though the soil is rich in organic matter, nutrients present are fewer in this soil type than any other type.
•  Peaty soil is prone to water logging, but if the soil is fertilized well and the drainage of the soil is looked after, it can be the ideal for growing plants.

Extension Learning Ideas and Questions:

The class wonders:

• Is the type of soil found in our observation site because our area is near wetlands and the swampy pond?
• What kinds of bugs or worms live in this type of soil?
• What are the little wood specs in the soil?
• Can you use this soil to grow flowers?
• Do animals eat this soil?
•  We will explore these questions in the springtime when we begin our Unit about  plants and growing.

These are some of the observations the class made about their seaonal obseration trees during the fall season:

Town officials are considering making a portion of the town-owned woods a playground for the H. Olive Day School.  Town officials are concerned with the lack of recreational space for the children to use at recess. The way that the current playground is set up the children play on a portion of the school driveway. Norfolk is a semi-rural town, but the way the playground is set up makes it feel like a more urban school. Local contractors are offering to do the work for very little money because it is helping the school. The money for the study of the plan will be donated by the fund called the Kunde Trust. 

Then new proposed playground will be based on a concept of a playground-in-the-woods. The new area  will include indigenous plants and trees. The hope is that the project will be “for the kids, to make it an area where they can play, they can eat, they can learn, and they can walk the trails.”  This description was given by John Weddleton a member of the Norfolk Conservation Commission. John Weddleton also states that “there are no wetlands in the immediate area”. The land in under the jurisdiction of the Conservation Commission. The hope of town officials is to maintain the trees that are already in the area.  

 The Conservation Commission will approve the project once the concept plans are complete.

The current playground does  lack a lot of shade areas. Hopefully the Conservation Commission will try to preserve the current walking trails so that outdoor learning opportunities can still be accessible to the children at the H. Olive Day School. There is currently no time line for the approval and development of this playground project.

    Wind: NW 7 mph

   Dew point:  41° 

The Kunde Forest is a place where you can find a huge variety of wild life, trees and plants.

The terrain is a forest, but there are some wet lands which contribute to the diverse amount of living things that live in this small town forest.

On Thursday, October 08, 2009, the class took a walk into the woods on one of the nature trails. We spent about twenty-five minutes on a scavenger hunt looking for a few different varieties of trees, plants and animals.

The class was broken up into four different groups: plants, ground cover, trees, and animals/insects. Before we went on our class exploration, we had a class meeting. At this class meeting, I showed the class the objects that their group would be in search of  during the scavenger hunt. The animal group was to be on the outlook for a few animals that are indigenous to the area. Their list consisted of: Grey squirrel, red squirrel, chipmunk, fisher cat, crows, blue jays, other song birds, ants and spiders.The tree group had to be on the outlook for: pine trees, swamp maple, Oak trees and Maple Trees.The plant group had the assignment of looking for: golden rod, blueberry bushes, green ferns, and poison Ivy.

During the meeting, I showed the children in each group pictures of what their group was to look for during our class exploration. Each group had a clipboard carrier who would record each of their finds.

During second part of the exploration each group had to come up with at least two different things that were not on their list or two questions that their group was wondering about. The items and the group questions will be used as additional topics to research as our project continues.

Before leaving on our exploration the class was reminded of all the safety rules and how to treat the forest respectful. The children were  also reminded not to touch and animals, insects, or leaves of any plant unless it was checked out by an adult.

Listed below are some of their observations and finds:

The plant group:

There were a variety of different plants and ground cover throughout the woods.

The class focused on some of the most abundant.

Poison Ivy

Blueberry Bushes

Swamp Maple tree

White Birch tree

White Pine tree

The Insect Group:

The class observed a variety of insects: spiders, lot’s of mosquitoes and ants.

Carpenter ants borrowing in a tree trunk

The additional items that the Insect group wondered about:

Where do mosquitoes live? What happens to a spider’s web when the weather is windy and rainy?

 

 Ground Cover Group:

Mushrooms and different Molds:

The class found a variety of different mushrooms and tree molds. The class was able to see that mushrooms and mold love wet damp areas, and because this particular trail is so close to some wet areas in the forest there was wonderful examples of this type of fungus. I took this opportunity to reinforce that when someone is walking outside and finds mushrooms, blueberries or any other berries,  he or she should not eat or touch these things unless they are with an adult who knows what the item is.

Red Mushrooms

 

Tree toad

 

 Weather Report: Sunny, 71 degrees, Wind: SW @ 6 mph,  dewpoint: 43 degrees

This picture was taken on our first visit to the Kunde Forest. This stone is the maker to the beginning of the walking trails.

      September 18, 2009

Our visit today was to look at the forest as a whole and  to make general observations.

Some of the observations that the students made were:

• There were a lot of different varieties of trees.
• The children observed a lot of different things that could be seen on the forest floor: moss, pine needles, rotted logs, and ferns.
• The class  noticed a lot of different types of grasses and leaves.
• We saw a variety of  mushrooms and tree fungus.
• We observed different animals: gray and red squirrel and a toad.
• The vernal pool  had a lot slime on it and other types of vegetation around it.
• There were some big mosquitos.

 About fifteen years ago, the Kunde family of Norfolk left a considerable amount of property to the town of Norfolk. The agreeement was that the land would be used as the builiding site for a new school  and any remaining  land would be used as conservation land.

The town of Norfolk built the H. Olive Day School on the property site about twelve years ago. The school contains  grades PreK-2.  The conservation land  portion of the property contains  walking trails though the woods and a vernal pool. All of this conservation land is located behind the H. Olive Day School. This conservation land offers a safe place where  the students of the H.Olive Day School  have the opportunity to observe different types of animals and plant life. The upkeep of the property is usually done as an Eagle Project for a Norfolk Boy Scout.

Vernal pool

 This is a vernal pool that is located in the Kunde Forest. The class will use this vernal pool to study about the seasons, animal habitats, and the growing cycle of  select plants. This pond will be a wonderful site to use as the class studies about different animal biomes and different types of plants. We will observe the seasonal changes of the pool over the next several month.

Walking Trials 

This is one of the walking trails the class will use to learn about the seasons, animal habitats, and the growth cycle of select plants. Our class will spend time studying about the habitat of the gray squirrel. This forest area will allow the class to observe the animal in its natural habitat.  Our class will also examine how the different seasons of New England impact the plants and animals in Massachusetts.  Today each child selected a tree that he or she will observe over the next several months. Students will record their observations and illustrate and write about their observations on how the tree changes in response to the seasonal changes.