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Welcome 5
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0-1: A Welcome Note from Victoria 30 minLecture1.1
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0-2: Good Things to Know 30 minLecture1.2
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0-3: Why Literacy Outdoors? 30 minLecture1.3
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0-4: Ideas to Kick Start Your Literacy Garden 30 minLecture1.4
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0-5: Supply List for Reading, Writing, Listening, and Talking Outdoors 30 minLecture1.5
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Module 1: Gardens that Feed 5
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1-1: Welcome to The Gardens that Feed 30 minLecture2.1
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1-2: Gather Seeds of Inspiration 30 minLecture2.2
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1-3: Plant Literacy Ideas 30 minLecture2.3
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1-4: Grow Literacy Activities 30 minLecture2.4
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1-5: Harvest Curriculum-on-the-Go Kits 30 minLecture2.5
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Module 2: Gardens as Outdoor Learning Stations that Inspire Themes 5
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2-1: Welcome to Gardens as Outdoor Learning Stations that Inspire Themes 30 minLecture3.1
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2-2: Gather Seeds of Inspiration 30 minLecture3.2
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2-3: Plant Literacy Ideas 30 minLecture3.3
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2-4: Grow Literacy Activities 30 minLecture3.4
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2-5: Harvest Literacy Curriculum Kits 30 minLecture3.5
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Module 3: Gardens that Attract Wildlife 5
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3-1: Welcome The Gardens that Attract Wildlife 30 minLecture4.1
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3-2: Gather Seeds of Inspiration 30 minLecture4.2
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3-3: Plant Literacy Ideas 30 minLecture4.3
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3-4: Grow Literacy Activities 30 minLecture4.4
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3-5: Harvest Literacy Curriculum Kits 30 minLecture4.5
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Module 4: Gardens for Beauty and Art 5
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4-1: Welcome to The Gardens for Beauty and Art 30 minLecture5.1
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4-2: Gather Seeds of Inspiration 30 minLecture5.2
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4-3: Plant Ideas 30 minLecture5.3
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4-4: Grow Activities 30 minLecture5.4
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4-5: Harvest Curriculum Kits 30 minLecture5.5
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56 Comments
At my last school, the room the preschoolers and I were in had west windows low enough for the kids to look out of. The best part was that there were little trees that we got to hang birdfeeders on!
We smeared peanut butter all over toilet paper tuber that had holes punched on opposite sides at the top and bottom–the top holes were for yarn hangers and the bottom was to push a stick through for perches. After the peanut butter was on, the kids rolled them in birdseed or black oil sunflower seeds. This unit was usually done in January as part of our songbird theme. We’d put on our coats and hats and head out to those little trees and hang the feeders up and then after about a week, one of the kids would spot the first bird. Bird books galore now filled the classroom as well as drawings in the nature journals.
During this time our “observation log” was our classroom tables and chairs, but a few years ago, the kids and I dragged up some logs from the nature trail to the playground. They used them to sit on or build forts on.
This sounds so lovely! I love how you have incorporated so many natural features into your teaching.
We not have a garden like this, but l think we can create a garden with much different outdoor activities.We figures this for the next spring
I do not have a Garden that Attracts Wildlife. The challenging issues with this type of Garden is I never see of any kind before like never.
Great idea to try next spring. I have some butterfly bushes that I can divide to add to our landscape, once we decide which gardens will be for attracting butterflies.
Yea!!
We don’t have that sort of garden space. But I know that some of the spaces in our outdoor playground does naturally attract wildlife, like the various bugs that hide under the logs that kids may use as seats.
Our nature playground will be attracting wildlife. The children love looking for worms, bugs , birds squirrels
Wonderful!
We have a lot of areas to sit and observe wildlife at B.C.L.C.. We could work on in the spring planting more things to attract wildlife. I know last summer we had planted watermelons and squash and it attracted quite a few baby bunnies which was very exciting for the children. We have quite a few logs throughout the yard that children use as seats and love to lift them up and search for various bugs. We have little magnifying glasses built into the ground the children use to observe the bugs. They spend a lot of time doing this and get excited when they find bugs and love to show the staff what they have found.
These are fantastic learning opportunities!
At the moment I don’t really believe that we fully have a garden that attracts wildlife. I say not fully because outside on our playground some of the gardens have attracted insects that live in the gardens. For example my class and I have observed caterpillars, spiders, and lady bugs that live within the plants. This is really the only type of wildlife at the moment that is existing in this garden. What I would love in the future to create a garden that attracts different parts of wildlife would be to have bird feeders on the playground and butterfly bushes for butterflies. I think the challenging issue of not having this type of garden is due to the fact that we don’t have the right materials to create it.
One step at a time. Start small…you will be there before you know it.
At my center we have attempted to make a garden. This garden could be considered a wildlife garden due to the fact that it is outside. This garden didn’t end up surviving but if it had I feel like it would have been a good home for various bugs and maybe even some butterflies or birds.
Keep trying….such a great opportunity for learning.
We had a few gardens raised beds and it attracted caterpillars who then kids were able to observe them and the stages of cocoon was super cool . We had a infestation of monarch butterflies it was so cool to watch with the kids.
Love doing this too!
As I mentioned in earlier modules we are fortunate to have raised garden beds for each of our classrooms at our school center. Most of these are used for “gardens that feed” however there are a few at the front entrance of the building that we have used as both “gardens that attract wildlife” and “gardens of beauty”. This past spring my class was responsible for planting two of the beds and it turned out to be a great expirience for the children because during the planting it started to rain which made some added excitment! Additionally, later in the spring time when the flowers really started to bloom it attracted a variety of insects as well as some birds! Thankfully our classroom is right by those garden beds so the children could expirience the wildlife from the classroom as well as when we took our walks outside.
Lucky classroom location! Take advantage all yeara round.
We are still working on developing our gardens at my school. I would love to have a garden thats only purpose is to attract wildlife. Imagine bundles of butterfly bushes….! We struggle with the children picking flowers/vegetables/fruits before they are ready but we continue to teach the importance of waiting until they are ready.
Try creating a “picking garden”
The playground at our program also has gardening stations. In a way, the children are the wildlife in our garden.
Fun!
We have an all natural playground at BCLC. We have garden beds, rocks, logs , and trees. The kids are always looking and playing with bugs (rollie pollie bugs, dragon flies, ants, beetles). We have a magnifying glass outside and they can look closer at different things in nature including bugs. We often have squirrels and bunnies go by and have a lot of birds. We do not have an observation log.
Yea!
Planting with toddlers along with books. Keeping journals with pictures. Books about animals, insects. Looking for insects, birds outside. Pictures for a collage
Great!
I think that one of the biggest obstacles that we would face creating a garden that attracts wildlife would most likely be the animals that are actually attracted to the garden itself. Some of the animals local to the area are not exactly safe for the children to be around. So we would have to watch out for that. On the other hand we would be able to plant flowers that would attract animals such as birds for that the children could observe.
Exactly!!!
Our gardens attract small critters that we can watch from our classrooms.
I would like to have a butterfly garden
Our class doesn’t have a Garden that Attracts Wildlife, but we do have a tree outside our window, so our kids can see different birds and other animals (squirrels, the occasional rabbit, etc.)
An observation log with pictures for younger toddlers ??
Picture journals for younger toddlers. Books about wildlife. Exploring for insects or birds etc.
Our gardens attract bugs, bees, and bunnies! The bees love the flowers, the bunnies love the vegetables, and the bugs love everything. I don’t use an observation journal, but I love that idea. It will be nice to teach the children that the playground is also a habitat.
adding some seeds to our rock garden would help in adding wildlife
Over the past summer our garden attracted some wildlife. Our garden brought in squirrels, rabbits and chipmunks. Unfortunately we did not keep a observation journal, but there always next year!
We have beautiful big windows in our infant room to look outdoors and see all that nature has for us. Birds, butterflies, squirels, changing leaves
Going to be looking for ways to expand our animal network. We have a group that actually taught us all about habitats called Kestrel.
We have pipe cleaners with cheerios and other treats which we string from trees to attract birds and other critters which the kids love to observe!
We see bees, butterflies, moths and all sorts of worms and crawling bugs.
We do not have a garden that attracts wildlife, but I love the idea of the observation log. The kids love examining bugs, so I believe that this would be something that they would really enjoy.
Love the book; Whats under the log !! My kids love to observe and create what they see and maybe even touch.
The children really loved the strawberries so when the squirrels began taking bites of them we had to find netting to help protect. The older children wrote a note on a piece of wood asking the squirrels to please not eat our strawberries.
We have found a lot of wildlife on our playgrounds!! We’ve found bunnies, squirrels, and lots of birds!! The kids love them.
Garden that i had in the summer attracted many animals Mice Raccoons Bunnies and Possumm
I have tons of butterfly bushes for the bees and butterflies. I also have tons of rocks in my yard so, it will be fun next time to look under it to show the kids where the bugs live.
WE often attempt growing flowers and veggies in some raised beds for the children on the playground, and we release butterflies out there every Spring. We have planted bulbs with parents, butterfly bushes, and blueberry bushes, but we ultimately fail to have lasting projects, because all the staff do not coordinate and cooperate in the way to view, use, or not abuse the planting boxes. I am hopeful that child made signage may help. The good side is that the children are always digging in these boxes looking for bugs, worms, etc. We had a big hatching of ladybugs crawl out of a rotting board on the picnic table last year. That was endlessly fascinating, so I am intrigued with the idea of bringing in an old log!
I am certain that adding signage to your outdoor space will bring with it a new respect for what is happening in your Outdoor Classroom. Adding additional descriptive signs is a wonderful way to increase understanding and learning outdoors. Sign-making can be a project that the kids can do. You have such a large space–I would add 3 different logs next to each other. This would make a very quick and easy outdoor learning station. Add a butterfly garden next to that, a bird sanctuary and you are good to go!
We do a lot of observing inside. In our science area and in front of our window we have things like plants, pine cones, wood, rocks, we even have a dead bug glued to a stick. We also keep gourds and pumpkins. this year we still have a pumpkin that is slowly changing color. Last year we had a gourd that cracked so you could see inside as it dried out. I would love to do more outside. Need to brainstorm how to make it work. We have a playground called “The woods”. It has large trees, the ground is covered with woods chips. How do you get others in the school to respect nature and hard work? We had a large wooden abacus made with tennis balls. The balls slowly disappeared so we have none left. A volunteer group came into to clean up the playground and added planters with beautiful flowers but I saw many children in other classes picking all the flowers. Many toys also get broken or thrown over the fence. I’d love to make something for everyone to share but I’d want it taken care of. I could try to do something at the edge of the pond but I’d have to be careful with 2.9-5 year olds. Plus Pat wanted to put something on the grass before (temporarily put “lollipops” the kids made, wicked cute idea!) but was given a hard time about getting in the way of the landscapers so it was never done. Last year I was in a different classroom on the back of the building and had a door that led outside to an area that wasn’t being used. AT least then we could just open the back door, blow bubbles, we’d observe the trees changing through the different seasons. We’d plant our own plants and could leave the right outside the door in the sun. This year we’re on the front of the building with no door leading right outside. We can see the pond and my favorite thing is this HUGE hawk that comes to visit the pond. I see him perched in a tree and once he was even hoping across the parking lot. Unfortunately I think the traffic and the people scare most animals away from the pond. Its frustrating trying to think up ideas that will realistically be possible.
I hear your frustrations. To answer your question about getting the rest of the school to respect nature and all your hard work, the first step is to get everyone on board. Do you have staff meetings? This is a good place to start the conversation or renew the conversation. Teacher training is also a great way to get teachers on board. It sounds like your outdoor space is very large. Without seeing it, it is hard to give you advice. I would choose one spot to start. Add your observation logs with signs explaining what they are. If you have a tree, add bird feeders, etc. With everything you do—add a sign. The signs will make a huge difference! They tell everyone that this is an outdoor learning environment. If the materials can’t stay outdoors, use your curriculum on the go kit. Identify a core garden group. Update the school on happenings. This could be a newsletter that the kids write/draw pictures, etc. It is about building community. So think in these terms. Hope this helps. Add one outdoor learning station at a time is a great way to get everyone excited.
For a period of close to 10 years, my classroom was able to spend our days bird-watching. Right outside our windows were 2 small flowering trees (they produced beautiful pink blossoms in the springtime, but no fruit; do not know what they are), and I started with 1 feeder, but by the end, there were 3 suet feeders (for the woodpeckers, mostly; well, and sometimes the squirrels, but they wasn’t our intention!), 2 thistle socks (for the finches, of course), and 4 feeders filled daily with sunflower seeds, which we also scattered below on the ground (cardinals, mourning doves, sparrows of several varieties, tufted titmice, nuthatches, red-winged blackbirds who flew over from the pond, the occasional grackle or crow, and more). Many of the children could name a lot of the birds by the end of each school year; it was calming to watch them, especially during mealtimes (I’d say, “SSHHH! You’re too loud, you’ll scare the birds away!” and everyone would quiet right down!), and sometimes during free play, you’d see a child pause in the activity to gaze out the window for a moment or two, attention caught by the flash of bright wings. Then this September, they moved me out of that room to a second floor classroom at the back of the building, overlooking a parking lot (and the dumpsters!) and a view of the highway. We see no birds. None at all. And now that I’m not there, neither are the bird feeders, and many other people in our building miss them, too. Sad, sad, sad. (And no, I have no clear idea why they needed to move me. Perhaps they just felt it was time to shake things up. I had actually been in that room for more like 17 or 18 years; it only occurred to me to hang up bird feeders about halfway through!)
And the link to gardens? Why sunflowers, of course! Many years we grew them in containers, starting them in the classroom and transplanting them outdoors when ready, over by the edge of the woods. Such good times.
Oh my goodness….so sad that you have lost your window out to your Garden that Attracts Wildlife. It’s just not the same with a view of the dumpster. Is there a tree outdoors that you can identify as your class tree? Maybe near the logs that you will be adding. You will have to visit. I also wonder if you could use a bird feeder that sticks to your windows. Might be fun to explore. With every closed door–there is always one that opens.
We have plants that attract birds, butterflies, bees, and sometimes rabbits. We have lots of places to sit and observe.
Wonderful!
Ohh, a little bit jealous! We do not have such a garden. Yet. Although we do have wildlife. They are out there; it’s just that we seldom see them while the kids are around. We’ve had groundhogs/woodchucks who have established burrows right on the perimeter of the school property. I used to see them in the mid to late afternoons when they would cautiously appear and begin their daily activities (which at one time included destroying the vegetable gardens that had been planted; my, weren’t they plump and healthy-looking that year!). In the past, I have seen rabbits about, and squirrels and chipmunks, of course; turkeys sometimes turn up. One year there were a pair of beavers who took up residency in the pond that sits across from the parking area out front; I swear, they were the size of Shetland ponies!! Or maybe it was just a matter of perspective, as the pond is pretty small. They did not stay through the whole summer. There are also several feral cats who live nearby. I believe they used to be someone’s pets who either got lost or were dumped (so sad!); some friends and I have tried on occasion to do something about them with no luck; haven’t actually seen them at all this winter. And once there was a coyote; sends shivers down my spine just remembering.In the end, it was only ever the chipmunks and groundhogs who were interested in whatever we had planted. But we would love to plant for butterflies and bees and such. And then there’s my sad sad story about the birds…. which I’ll tell about in another post.
Ahhh…a butterfly garden might be perfect for you!