The pond came to Sam's preschool today! Sam, Avery and I had made several trips to the local pond in the last few days to collect lots of fun things to show her classmates. I had a big rubbermaid container filled with the critters, lots of little containers, a few nets and some magnifying glasses for the kids to use.
We showed off several different sizes and stages of tadpoles. Some of the kids had fun trying to hold the tadpoles and all of them loved watching them swim around.
The dragonfly nymph and the snails were the other two big hits. I showed off the large jaw and mouth of the dragonfly nymph and had the kids compare it to their own jaws. We also talked a lot about how the snails (and turtles) carry their houses on their backs. Then we pretended to be snails by squatting down on the ground and when we got scared we pulled our limbs in to form a little ball.
The kids (those that wanted to) even got a chance to put the net in the big container to see what they could catch.
The most interesting part is that the kids lost interest much more quickly than I expected but then one at a time slowly came back wanting to check out the critters again, try out the net again or talk to me about something. I was glad they were all showing interest just wish they had stuck around longer at the beginning.
In other news...
We got our first attempt at a water wall all set up today.
Still working out the details though. Would love any advice on what to use to collect the water at the bottom and what Sam and Avery should use to pour the water in at the top. Started a conversation over on the Facebook page and would love for you all to jump in!
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The Nitty Gritty!
One thought that hit me while I was at Sam's school is that I am raising "the weird kid". She held all the critters, asked to use her hands to catch things in the container and stood there captivated with what I was talking about long after other kids had wandered away. Other kids jumped back, acted squeemish or said "yuck" when I asked if they wanted to touch something or hold something, she was all too eager! What have I done?!
I have come to conclusion of SO WHAT!? I think every little kid is weird in one way or another. Some are super picky eaters, others insist on wearing something everyday or refuse to wear something, etc. Every little kid has something. So what if Sam's weird thing happens to be a hyper-enthusiasm for the things that other kids think are gross or are afraid of. It could be worse...
I seriously hope you don't think she's "weird" for having an appreciation for nature & its creatures. :)
Sometimes we forget that not all kids have the same opportunities to learn & discover as ours do. Good work today!
Posted by: Debi | 05/23/2011 at 07:33 PM
Abbie, you are a fab mum for doing this!
Sam's not weird at all, she's brave and adventurous, and those are qualities to be admired.
By the way, I love your water wall idea. I have no ingenious contributions to make, but I will be following to see what you come up with! :-)
Jane
Posted by: Mama Pea Pod | 05/24/2011 at 02:43 AM
"weird" is wonderful! I love Sam's adventure. You must be so proud of her. You should be proud of yourself. I love how connected she is to the world!
Posted by: Angela | 05/24/2011 at 09:11 AM