Here we are on May 14th, the last day of school.  This day is always bittersweet for the kids and I who have become like a family.  We know how we will miss being together and yet we are all excited for summer break.  

It was a year like no other with COVID-19 looming over us, but the children were so great about handwashing and even wearing a mask every day for much of the last half of the year. They just rolled with it and rarely complained.  

We had such a great year!  The kindergartners learned how to read and solve math problems.  They learned about science and social studies.  I read so many, many books.  We all loved sharing our passion for birds and it gave us a common interest to share. I weaved birds into my curriculum and the kindergartners became bird experts identifying over 412 species of birds as a group.  The kindergartners also learned to be very aware by thinking like a scientists asking questions and observing.  

I encourage you to continue supporting your child's interest of birds by taking him/her out to look for birds and encouraging him/her to look through their field guides or flashcards. They already know more about birds than most adults, so it is a skill that could bring them much enjoyment throughout their life.  

Thank you for being such kind, supportive parents.  For that I am forever grateful.  I will always appreciate the year I spent with these sweet children.  They will always hold a special place in my heart and we will have a forever bond.

 

The KinderGarden

 

I did a review of the life cycle of a plant and I had the kindergartners planted a couple of green bean seeds, a sunflower seed, a corn seed and a marigold seed.  They actually grew quite well and I should've take a photo a few days later.  

Pop Can Birds

Today the kindergartners did a recycling sort of activity where they reused a pop can and used scrap paper to create their own bird.  They had to remember to make the wings symmetrical.  Then they needed to make a name for their bird, tell its habitat and what it ate.  They were so interested and engaged in their project.  It was pretty quiet in the room as they worked and they were so proud of their bird when it was finished!  Afterwards, they drew their bird in the their journal and wrote about it.  This was a fun project for the end of the school year!

 

They can Identify 412 Species of Birds!

The kindergartners were able to identify 412 species of birds!  Wow!  That is impressive.  Not only can they identify them, they can do it so fast that I can barely click through the pictures fast enough on the slideshow.  The kindergartners are so proud of this accomplishment.  They know something that most adults know little about.  I recommend that you continue on with this.  Look through the field guides occasionally, practice bird flashcards, go exploring with the purpose to find birds, get good binoculars for them use and help support this.  During these days when so many children are indoors looking at screens, birding may be the gateway to get them outdoors more.  You will find that it is inexpensive, relaxing and/or good exercise.  Being outdoors in a nature area gives a person a sense of being part of something bigger.  Trying to spot birds and figure out what they are involves mindfulness and it whisks away your stress.  Give it a try!  

 

Kindergarten Field Trip

The kindergarten field trip was amazing!  I loved spending quality time outdoors with these wonderful children. They demonstrated over and over things that they've learned throughout the year.  They were observant and engaged.  They asked great questions and were very aware of their surroundings.  We ended up recording 36 species of birds for the day. A big thank you to all of you for having your child prepared and ready to go for the day.  Also, thank you to the parents that were able to come along and help out.  I really appreciate it!  

Here are some photos from our day.

We were all so happy to get going!

We began our adventure on the North Point trail where we heard and saw birds like:  Black-capped Chickadee, Lark Sparrows, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Field Sparrows, Mourning Doves, Blue Jays and others.

This is a Lark Sparrow and we enjoyed hearing its song.

The kids loved finding pine cones, rocks, feathers 

and other interesting things on their hike.

We saw many webworms along the way.  I know 

that Yellow-billed Cuckoos love to feast on them,

 so they will be all set when they return to the area.

This is a Field Sparrow.  Its song is one of my favorites in the bird world.  The kids saw several "life birds", which means it was the first time they'd seen one in their life.

This Western Grebe was hanging out in the river.

We saw many Forster's Terns patrolling the water 

and occasionally dropping down to grab a fish.

The kindergartners loved playing in the sand and 

trying to skip rocks.  This was a fun time!

The playground equipment was very nice and the kids loved it!

I thought this was so cute as these two sat together and visited.

Everyone was hungry, so we had an early picnic.  

They seemed to love it!

Kids love picnics!

We loved watching the Barn Swallows zip around by us.  

I was impressed at how the kids could identify birds 

that they had only previously seen in books, flashcards 

or on my slideshow.

This nice playground was in the Tom Brokaw 

Park in Pickstown, which is right next to the 

Fort Randall Dam.  It was very nice!

The kids love the merry-go-round!

This was my favorite trail.  I love this area and we did 

see a few good birds here.  The Spotted Towhee 

was a highlight.

I did an activity with the kindergartners that I often do when 

I take teens birding.  We sat in nature for five minutes quietly

 listening and using our senses to hear and see what 

was around us.  It was pretty cute.

A couple of weeks ago, our story for the week in our 

Reading lesson was about beavers.  Today they got 

to see a real beaver dam and see the trees that 

beavers had cut down.

She found some heart-shaped fungi.

Then she found a heart-shaped rock!

Back to Brokaw Park for some kite-flying!

The weather was beautiful, the kids were 

well-behaved and happy! It was a very memorable day!