This was a short, but action packed week in Ms. Hahn’s class. Most of the week was spent earning K and E keys as part of the Earthkeeper’s program. Hopefully this was the highlight of everyone’s week, I know it was the highlight of mine.
Earthkeeper’s
The kids started their adventure with a trip into E.M.’s lab, this is where E.M. started out, kept collections, did some journalling, and just rested after a long day of being outside studying nature. After that we had two full days of walking around in the woods and the prairie exploring. Along the way they learned about specks (water, air, and soil), walked a speck trail, became part of a web of life, followed a map to a treasure box, learned what the area looked like as many as billions of years ago, did quiet spots, went on a ramble, and many other activities. It was a tiring two days, but so absolutely wonderful. Students left proudly displaying their K keys on their bags.
Day 3 was back on campus, but we didn’t sit inside for very long. After PE we went on an Earth Walk with Naomi. This walk involved using our senses to study nature. We also got to smell different plants and find our favorites (mountain mint!). Then we went to our quiet spots by Lake Leopold and wrote in the journals. In the afternoon we took another walk, this time collecting seeds from a variety of prairie plants. We then took those seeds to another area and planted them. Hopefully come spring we have even more prairie plants to study. Afterwards we cleaned out a bunch of the garden beds while students received their E keys.
Going forward, Earthkeeper’s is something the kids will do mostly at home. Please make sure to review the materials with them and let us know if you have questions.
Specials
We didn’t have all of our specials this week due to the trip, but when they did have them they played scooter soccer in PE, made rhythms in music, and worked on their Mondrian pieces in art.
That is pretty much it for the week. Hopefully the kids remember this trip for a long time. Ask them who they think E.M. is and if they have seen them.
Also, if you are reading this, tell your student to tell me how many dogs and cats I have (2 of each). I’ll give them a Hawk’s Ticket! I do really appreciate you looking at these posts, they take a bit of time and I’m happy that people are seeing them.
~ Mrs. Steinbeck