Spiders

This post was originally dated October 1st, 2018

Hello!

We finished up focusing on seeds last week, although we still have many opportunities to observe them in the natural world. We talked a lot last week about the different ways that seeds get around, and touched on some of the more dramatic catalysts that some seeds need, like flood, fire and consumption. We also talked about cotyledons and how seeds carry their "snacks" with them, so that they are ready to start growing as soon as they find the right spot. We made seed bombs, letter shaped seed mosaics, and we finished the week off by scooping pumpkin seeds out, roasting them, and making pumpkin bread with the leftovers.

A highlight from the field was hearing and watching a stellar's jay mimicking a hawk cry, and then seeing the hawk soar into view right overhead while being harassed by a crow. There are all kinds of possible backstories for that scenario, and I am still musing over it.

This next week we will start talking about spiders. I'm sure that everyone has a lot of opportunities to observe them in our daily lives lately. In the garden and around the school there are a plethora of large specimens to check out. It's hard to get over the eek creepy factor, which is a natural and sometimes helpful response to spiders, but we're going to focus on their lives, their interesting skills and their helpful role in the ecosystem.

It looks like we will be getting some rain this week, so please send everyone prepared. A good way to gauge how to dress is to imagine what you would feel most comfortable wearing sitting, running, climbing and playing outside in during intermittent downpour for a few hours. Also concerning shoes, since we play in dirt and leaf litter and duff, it is easy for slip on shoes and sandals to collect these materials. We currently spend a lot of time taking shoes off, shaking them out, and putting them back on again. Even on nice dry days it would be helpful for everyone to wearclosed toed shoes that cover the whole foot so that less leaf litter can get down inside, and it's also always helpful for everyone to be wearing shoes that they can get on and take off themselves. Thanks for the help in keeping these busy kids comfortable so that they can enjoy their outdoor experiences to the fullest!

Best,
Jessica