After being shown around the nature trail we went on a scavenger hunt for laminated clues about the functions of the parts of the tree. We found out about seeds, flowers and cones, the leaves, the branches, the trunk and the roots, except we didn't need to find that clue because the children knew all about them already!!
Next came a group game where each child had a necklace that depicted a part of the tree and what it did and what their 'lines' were!! The children built a human tree with the help of a picnic bench to stand on.... it was very effective and added into the layers of knowledge that the children built up during the day!
Faces were painted with different colours to show how leaves made food for the tree using Carbon dioxide (red), water (blue), sunlight (yellow) and chlorophyll (green). A very simple and dynamic explanation.
Nearly the end of the day and stream-dipping was the mission! The children found freshwater shrimps, mayfly larvae (with three tails) and various other tiny wriggly stream creatures. They very happily splashed and poked around the shallow stream.
All in all a really great day that the children got a lot out of. We will definitely go back to the spot as there is a lot there and the nature trail and stream are perfect for small children. I'm hoping to get the children to make a big tree this week with some labels and pictures and see how much of the information they recall!
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