Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Nature Themed Songs


Nature is filled with music and movement. Children love to sing their favorite songs, learn new ones, and make up their own. Songs help children remember content and improve their ability to learn new words.

Add these songs from the KinderNature website to your collection.

I See the Wind
I see the wind when the leaves dance by. (dance hands around)
I see the wind when the trees wave “Hi!”(wave hand)
I see the wind when the kites fly by. (raise arms high)
I see the wind when the clouds float up high. (wave hand gently)
I see the wind when it blows my hair.(lift hair with hands)
I see the wind ‘most everywhere! (hold hands out, palms up)

The Magic of Seasons
(sung to “Clementine”)

It’s like magic, seasons changing
Summer, fall to winter, spring
Summer, fall to winter, spring
Changing seasons can be seen

In the summer sun is shining
Butterflies dancing on a breeze
Insects buzzing, fish a jumping
Little fawns run through the trees

In the fall time days get colder
Geese are flying through the sky
Tree leaves change to fancy colors
They go crunch as we walk by

In the winter snow is falling
Winter trees are dressed in white
Bats and woodchucks winter sleeping
Owls are calling in the night

In the spring time rains are falling
Birds are singing all around
In the forest trees are growing
Baby animals can be found

I’m a Little Fishy
Sung to “I’m a Little Teapot”
I’m a little fishy, I can swim
Here is my tail, here is my fin
When I want to have fun with my friends
I wiggle my tail and dive right in

Have You Ever Seen a Tadpole
(tune “Have You Ever Seen a Lassie”)

Have you ever seen a tadpole, a tadpole, a tadpole?
Have you ever seen a tadpole with a long fat tail?

Have you ever seen a tadpole, a tadpole, a tadpole?
Have you ever seen a tadpole with just two back legs?

Have you ever seen a tadpole, a tadpole, a tadpole?
Have you ever seen a tadpole with four little legs?

Have you ever seen a tadpole, a tadpole, a tadpole?
Have you ever seen a tadpole jump up so high?

WAIT ……. That’s not a tadpole!
That’s a FROG!!!

Leaves are Floating Down
Leaves are floating softly down (Flutter fingers)
They make a carpet on the ground (Spread hands apart)
Then swish! The wind comes whirling by (Bring hands around fast)
And sends them dancing in the sky (Flutter fingers upwards)

Fishing Song
Have you ever been fishin’ on a bright and sunny day?
With all the little fishies swimmin’ up and down the bay
With your hands in your pockets and your pockets in your pants
All the little fishies do the hoochie-koochie dance!

Monarch Metamorphosis
(Sung to Frere Jacques)

Little egg, little egg
On your leaf, on your leaf
Growing very quickly, growing very quickly
What will you be? What will you be?

Funny caterpillar, funny caterpillar
Wearing stripes, wearing stripes
Eating, eating, eating; Eating, eating, eating
Milkweed leaves, milkweed leaves

Magic chrysalis, magic chrysalis
Green and gold, green and gold
What great treasure, what great treasure
Do you hold, do you hold?

Beautiful monarch, beautiful monarch
Glide and fly, glide and fly
Moving off to Mexico, moving off to Mexico
By and by, by and by

The Queen of all of the Ants
(Sung to the tune of Noble Duke of York)

The queen of all the ants, she had 10,000 men
She marched them up the hill and she marched them down again
And when they’re up, they’re up
And when they’re down, they’re down
But when they’re only have way up they’re neither up nor down

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

BirdSleuth School Garden Grant

School gardens provide the context for lessons across subjects and offer a wonderful opportunity to engage students in hands-on, project-based learning opportunities. Students that engage in school gardening are likely to experience academic, physical, emotional, social, and even behavioral benefits.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is seeking ten dedicated teachers within the United States who strive to bring STEM and healthy living from the garden to the classroom. These teachers will receive a $500-$2,000 grant, gardening supplies, and BirdSleuth’s Habitat Connections kit. Funds may be used to support the building or revitalization of school gardens. In addition to food gardens, preference will be given to bird, pollinator, native habitat, rain, and other natural projects.

Application Process & Eligibility
The application is open to all K-12 schools, public and private, within the United States. Application deadline is February 15, 2016. All applicants will be notified on February 22, 2016. At least half the gardens funded will be underserved, high-need, urban schools. Apply now. Email birdsleuth@cornell.edu with any questions.

Grant Details & Timeline
  • All winners will be notified February 22, 2016.
  • Selected winners must first attend an online training either March 3 at 7pm ET or March 7 at 8pm ET. Upon completion, 75% of the allocated funds will be provided along with the Habitat Connections kit.
  • Between March and June, the winning schools must implement their proposed garden plan and the kit lessons.
  • A final report is required no later than July 1, 2016 from each school. This final report will consist of a brief survey and sharing the school’s progress on the BirdSleuth Action Map. Upon submission of the final report, each school will receive the remaining 25% of the funds to support continuation of the project.

 

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Let’s Look for Tracks!


Animal footprints or tracks are one way to learn about an animal without actually seeing it. In addition to helping identify the animal, tracks can reveal a complex story about the animal. Tracks let us know that wildlife is alive and well. They also tell us about how an animal is built and how it moves.

Identifying and following a set of animal tracks is a great treasure hunt. Any season is a good time to look for tracks, but winter and spring are prime. Snow and soft ground create easy-to-find, distinctive imprints. Tips for identifying common wildlife tracks are available on the DNR website.

Try these simple ideas to help introduce animal tracks to your students.

Create a Track Mat
Materials: cloth of desired size (such as muslin or canvas), fabric paint, animal track stamps, paint brush

Instructions: Create an animal track scene. Stamp animal tracks on cloth as though animals walked across the fabric. Paint in trees, water etc. and stamp the animals tracks as you may find them in nature, i.e. duck tracks by the water, squirrel tracks by the trees. Share with your class. Have the kids tell stories about what they think the animals are doing, where they are going and what they might eat or where they might live.

Track Stories
Provide paper, animal track stencils, animal stamps, crayons and markers, etc. for your kids to create a visual story about animal tracks.

Sand Prints
Fill one tray with wet sand and other with dry sand. Provide children with a variety of objects for making imprints in the sand. Possibilities include different shoes (flip flop, tennis shoe, high-heeled shoe, etc.); plastic animals and other toys; or spoons, cookie cutters, and other kitchen utensils. Which works better: wet or dry sand? What else do children notice?

Track Art
Invite children to use their hands, feet or various objects to make impressions on paper using finger paints. See how many shapes and patterns they can make.