Traditionally February is a time for hearts and flowers and we welcomed the month by learning about our hearts. We used a stethoscope to listen to our heart beat and noticed the difference in our heart beat after activity! We opened our hand and squeezed it shut for a whole minute to mimic our heart beating and contemplated on the wonderful muscle our heart is; working day and night...involuntarily!
February 1st in Ireland is St. Brigid's Day and we talked a little bit about that and the traditions around it. She is recognized for poetry, healing, fertility and learning. It is regarded as the 1st day of spring there and as a nod to the wonderful woman that she was, we took a nature walk into the woods and found that while it may not be traditionally recognized as the first day of spring here, we heard so many more birds, scattered some birdseed in gratitude and saw the first little spring flowers. Such joy!
We have been learning so much about Volcanoes, the interest has been amazing and so we created our own volcano this week. The children made a group model of a volcano and the excitement mounted as we waited for it to erupt...took a little time but eventually it delighted us with an impressive eruption!
Who could begin the month without checking in with Punxsutawney Phil on Groundhog Day who did not see his shadow and actually agrees with the birds and has predicted an early Spring. This always gives us cause to discover what makes a shadow. Then we discuss how Phil makes his prediction and how years ago people relied heavily on signs from nature to predict when to start sowing crops.
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
The Primary Team
Comments