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Writer's pictureArroyo Nature School

Arroyo Nature School Newsletter #6





Hello Arroyo Nature School families,

It's hard to believe that we are getting close to the end of the school year. Our last day of school is June 9th and it is coming too quickly! We have been so busy exploring the park and enjoying each other's company.






We have been going on little adventures in parts of the park to snack on the Golden currants. They've been so full of berries lately!














With all of this growth happening around us, we have had many opportunities to learn about seeds and how they travel. When another annoying foxtail gets caught in our socks or pants, we talk about how the seeds find ways to travel. Sometimes the seeds float past us as a child blows a Dandelion puff ball. Plants have amazing ways to spread and grow!







Lately we have been taking walks over to the old "Roly Poly land" area of the park. The Wild mustard and Matilija poppies have really taken over a part of the park. The new name for the area lately is "The Mustard maze"! We create a pathway and carefully explore through it to see where it will take us. Some of us eat mustard and wild radish flowers on our way.












Here we are in the depths of the mustard maze!




















We have been able to witness life cycles happening with insects and animals! Sometimes we get to see the tiniest eggs tucked under leaves or remnants of eggshells from a bird.


The children ask why they are there and what will they be?


We talk about how insects and animals go through stages in their lives as they grow.








The children have been so strong and confident in the way that they move. They have been able to push and pull the wagons on our longs walks together without too much help from a teacher. It is great to see how they are taking initiative and showing how they can help.







The children noticed a small hillside area with dried pathways that once carried rain water down the hill. These areas were fun places to dig around and explore. A small group worked hard on enlarging the paths so they could fit into it and slide down.












This became a construction site. Excavators, dump trucks and diggers were working hard to move dirt and break down the walls. Sometimes the work was so intense for one construction vehicle it would cause dirt to fly in the air! Glasses were definitely needed then.













Being in a public park really connects us with the community. We have had opportunities to talk to bird watchers, watch people paint the landscape, wave to other schools on field trips and sometimes hear musicians playing music in the park!




We heard beautiful music playing one day and we went to go see where it was coming from. The two had just finished filming some of their performance on the hillside of the park. They were kind enough to play us a song. The children wanted to show them our music area and where we play and sing. It was beautiful to see this impromptu Jam session happen on its own.








As the children have developed strength in their fine motor skills and imaginative ideas, we have seen their art work become more intricate and thoughtfully planned out.





Even the way that they are handling the tools and materials has shown development and good practice!







Some of us are enjoying the process of shaping the clay into long strips and then cutting them over and over again. They are practicing how to hold with one hand and move to slice with the other.



Some of us have mastered rolling balls and coils with our hands now! We cut blocks of cheese, cakes, churros and carrots.







We recently spent time collaging with felt and yarn. Practicing to cut with scissors can be challenging, but a handful of children loved to try over and over again. There was a lot of focus and work going into the slits on the paper. Some of the children wanted the yarn attached through the paper so they could lift and toss it around in the air. We then decided that maybe we could fly them?














We explored chalk pastel and practiced blending the colors with our fingers. Sometimes we would layer a couple of colors and blend them vigorously to see the two colors mix together.






























These tiny little art pieces were displayed on a log and then taken home.



We have always wanted go onto the La Loma bridge. Since we have been great with all other challenges (walking narrow path ways, climbing stairs and hills) , we all decided we were more than ready to do it! If you look closely, you can see some of our children down below on the other bridge. This was such an exciting adventure for the children to complete.


We noticed the difference in the wind and it's temperature while we were up here.



Thank you for reading the last newsletter of the school year! We hope you have enjoyed seeing and reading what the children have been doing at school every day. We hope you have had a great weekend!


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