Our first nature walk of the year

The trails, meadows, and vernal pool near Woodland School are an incredible resource for us to learn about interdependence. Our walk last week was a wonderful way to reinforce our learning about how to be observers of the natural world around us. As Rachel Carson said, in nature, nothing exists alone. We don't have to go far to spot examples of plants and animals working together for survival. We paused and jotted down what our senses of a naturalist were observing twice along our walk. First we sat in quiet sit spots by the vernal pool and then we ventured to the Marian Case Outdoor Classroom. We will be returning to these spots throughout the year to observe what's the same and what's different.

Marian Case Outdoor Classroom

Back in class, we read the book Log Life by Amy Hevron. The book tells the story of what happens to a tree that falls in the forest, becoming a nurse log, over a year, a decade, a century, and a millennium. 

Ask your naturalist to describe to you what a nurse log is and how a nurse log is an example of interdependence. 

A nurse log near the vernal pool!

Here are some sketches students made in their field notebooks to show their understanding of how a nurse log is home to many plants and animals as it decomposes over time to become a part of the forest floor once again.