WINTER IS MELTING AWAY

MOTHER NATURE PROVOCATIONS
By Sara Rocio Raeesi-Gujani


Winter has been a most enjoyable season in the woods! We explored the meaning of hibernation, recreated a Winterlude, and added dimension, colour and texture to the snow and ice.
Last Wednesday was the most beautiful day of the year. It was a truly Winter Paradise at the Forest Preschool. Suddenly everything was suspended and embraced in absolute silence and the forest was totally covered in white. The children have fantasized and wondered if all winter days were like Wednesday. Will they ever come back inside again? Will they live underneath the trees? They love to travel day and night in the forest lands and hills in search for treasures made out of snow and ice.
Our Winter Wonderland was quite inspirational on Thursday early morning:
LC: Let’s made a polar bear!
CL: And let’s made a penguin
SR: Where do they live?
GF: Polar bears live in the North Pole
AV: Penguins live in the South Pole
SR: What about if we use the compass to find out where the North and South are!
GF: [Holds the compass and points where the letter N is] Here is North!
LC/CL/EL: [All hold the compass while pointing where the letter S is]
CL: South is there!
Once we found the North and South Poles and began to make the polar bear and penguin, the children decided to bring snow from other lands to complete the project. We went to Greenland, England, Spain, and France. We also sailed and crossed the ocean to finally land in Greece for a quick soccer match. The forest became the world and as we travelled up the hills, down the hills, between the woods, and boarded trains and jets, and sailed across the ocean, we not only mapped a forest section but also brought with us beautiful souvenirs made of snow to complete our assignment.
Interestingly enough on Friday, the sky was grey, the air felt a bit warmer, the snow was very soft to walk on, and we found lots of small tree branches on the floor and mini-puddles everywhere; the polar bear and penguin have disappeared. It happens every year! The snow is melting!
March Pedagogical theme:
WINTER IS MELTING AWAY!
We will investigate the how, the why, and the effects of snow and ice melting. We will explore some factors that control the melting process: air temperature, the sun, the wind, and the rain. We will introduce the concept of global warming. We also will attempt to answer the following questions: a) Can we melt snow on fire? b) Where does the white go when the snow melts? c) Why does snow melt around the base of the tree trunks? Finally we will be searching for snow moulds on the ground.
Overall we will explore the meaning of melting! And while winter is melting away! Let’s think about what else can be melted? What about chocolate! Cheese! What changes can be observed? Have fun! And tell, show and share!