Week 7 Update - Mr. Braden’s Builders
Hey Folks,
Mr. Braden here with a story about our very cold week last week!
We were missing about half of our group for a snuggly day at home, as was Ms. Bridget’s Farmers group. So we combined into one class for the day. It was really great seeing how the youngers and olders got along throughout the day and I hope we can get some more time together in the future!
It was cold last Friday. Not like “Texas” cold. Like everywhere cold. And made even worse by how recently it had been nearly 80 degrees. So we spent the morning huddled around a fire discussing the finer points of smore-making while kids made their cases between burnt and golden brown for which mallow makes the best Smore. (Hint: It’s golden brown). As it warmed up a little bit we discussed carnivores, herbivores, omnivores, and insectivores that live in the area, and what some of the defining characteristics and behaviors of those animals are. Their teeth, where the eyes are set in the skull, their feet, and few other factors came up. Bonus points if your builder can remember what type of predator Cookie Monster is (a submerged ambush predator as his eyes are top mounted and forward facing like an alligator.)
We also worked on some of our awareness skills for when we are moving through the natural world focusing on simple ways to notice more and a very simple way to scare less things away. We use “deer ears” to hear better, WAV (wide angle vision/ owl eyes) to see better, and fox walking to quiet down. The biggest thing in the way of people seeing nature in its’ natural states is how loud and foreign we tend to be while we’re there. Learning to expand our awareness and shrink our disturbance is the best path towards a fuller experience of nature.
After lunch we played a game called “Life and Death in the Forest”. This game simulates finding food and water for carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores. They have required food and water intakes to make, and their requirements differ. We also noted having less carnivores than herbivores and what might happen if that balance was off. The game has lots of variables that can be played with to demonstrate different principles of balance within nature and we look forward to making the tweaks that will help demonstrate those points.
All in all it was a lovely day given how cold it was to start and we really had a blast with our mixed class. I’d also like to take this opportunity to remind everyone to register (click here!) for next semester as spots are filling up quickly and we love everyone in our class right now! I look forward to continuing to work with your kids in the future and I hope everyone is as excited about the arrival of Spring as I am!
See you soon,
Braden