My kindergartners and first graders tried to “sneak” up on Chorus frogs today. Our center has a rain garden that is now full of water and home to quite a few frogs. The frogs were singing loudly in the morning and I thought it would be great fun to have the kids walk up to them so they could experience how they stop singing when approached.
Turns out, the frogs had stopped singing completely by the time we got outside. There was a lot of noise around the center in the afternoon. We talked about this for a bit and then explored around the pond. We found interesting rocks to look at and watched two male mallard ducks. The kids wanted to throw rocks, which is natural, but I told them we’ll have to wait to get to a lake to practice our rock skipping. So, we talked about the rocks. One smart kid asked what would happen if we hit the rock with a hammer? “We’d get a lot of little rocks,” I said. He thought about that awhile and then seemed to accept the answer.
I got to explain why I knew that the two ducks were both male. To them, these mallards were probably exotic looking. I always have to remember that when I see something common. Some kids picked dandelions. It’s great fun to let them pick these flowers. I think it would be great to make necklaces in the park on Friday.
Then, the railroad crossing bell started going off and the kids waited in earnest for the train to come. It didn’t. Bummer. I had to tell the kids that the bell goes off sometimes when the train is far, far away. It’s just a precaution. The kids left a little disappointed, but at least they got to go outside and explore around the center.
I want to use this area as a natural laboratory this summer. It’s a good place to look for insects and to plant our potato traps. It’d be nice to get a few benches to sit on too. I can’t wait.