Curiousity is Natural

What a better way to awaken curiosity and spark a few questions then through a Nature Walk?

Throughout the first week of school, we wanted to provide our students with a range of opportunities that allowed them to use all of their senses, to learn through doing, as they explore the world of our classroom. Similarly, we felt it to be equally important to offer students the same opportunities using the outdoors! Yes, it was only the first week of school, but we felt it necessary to kick off the new school year with an exposure to what it meant to be an "explorer" and observe and make connections to our surroundings. Students need to experience the natural environment in order to fully appreciate its wonders, and as a team, my DECE and I discovered so much about our students as we documented our experience of our class' first Nature Walk!

"This is an 'ouch-ie' tree! I wonder why it has different leaves?" - T.B.

With our SK's taking the lead, our new JK's enjoyed the opportunity to experience the world outside of our classroom and many were able to share their prior knowledge, make connections, and learn from their new peers!  

"We found a spider web! It lives on the tree!" - C.M.

"It's a hole! I wonder if a snake lives down there?" - L.D.

"Pinecones like in our classroom! Why are they green?" - A.C.

"Look Ms. Schmidt and Ms. Theis! It's a naked tree!" - I.D.

"I think a woodpecker made this hole. He was trying to find food." - S.M.

"I can see our shadows in the water! Look!" - J.S.

"I see a water spider." - V.V.

Once back in the classroom, we decided to share our findings from our first Nature Walk through a Community Circle. I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to practice how to make our students thinking visible. In reference to my last post and the article "Making Thinking Visible" by Ron Ritchhart and David Perkins, my DECE and I decided to see how our students initially responded to the "See-Think-Wonder" approach. After my DECE and I modelled a response to the question "What did you see?", many students were able to articulate what they "saw" outside and, surprisingly, many were even able to expand their thinking by explaining using details, connections, and posing possible questions. We were amazed! We decided not to tackle the "I wonder" statement this time around, because we feel it is something students will naturally be exposed too upon more outdoor excursions and observations. We hope to continue making our students thinking visible through their self-reflection, writing, and drawing in the coming weeks and we can't wait to dig deeper into some of our findings! Stay tuned!