Tuesday, September 19th

Some conversation developed in regard to experiences and knowledge about nature before lunch today:
Ellee: Stones aren't part of nature, because they don't grow. Smells are part of nature because some smells come from stinky plants. Stinky plants are all over Montrose. When you get to Montrose there are little balls. 
Cassius: There's also stinky balls all around the school on the ground.  Sticks are nature because they grow. 
After lunch, some friends worked with natural materials and collage. We noticed something in our collection of materials that looked like coral. 
Kate: Is this piece of coral part of nature, Ellee? 
Ellee: That's ocean nature. Shells are nature. Ocean nature can sometimes wash onto the beach. 
​

---

We also visited the new shelf area (next to the adult bathroom) where we'll be storing some of the natural items we find on our outings. We were curious if these items needed pictures or some form of label in order to  identify where they came from. When we asked Ellee and Cassius, they responded:
Ellee: These are from our walk.
Cassius: You can collect lots of these (rocks) and put them here. We can make a copy of this picture (posted from the blog on the clipboard above) and put it here (next to the natural item). That is a good idea.

We headed out on another walk today to Georgetown. Children noticed and collected a variety of things on our way:
Rose: My yard is totally different. All the leaves have fallen down.
Max: (with bag) I have 100 leaves. 
(we approach holly tree)
Kate: What seems different about these leaves?
All: They're spiky! 
Kate: I wonder why they're spiky?
Cassius: To protect them.
Rose: To protect it from animals.
Jay: So it can live.
We walk a little further and stumble upon some moss:
Cassius: Moss feels like a back yard, and it's just comfy. 
Jay: It makes you dirty. 
Ellee: It's grass that grows on the bricks.
Cassius: And it grows on sand. 

Below are some pictures from our walk this afternoon. We're excited about the enthusiasm that's been generated on our nature-focused outings so far!