A Winter Garden

Just because it is winter doesn’t mean that there is no work to be done in the gan. This time of year, the garden requires a lot of TLC. The children know that before spring planting begins, we must do a winter clean up.The tunnel is the first place that gets their attention. The Hyacinth Bean vine has died down, and the children worked together to pull the dead vines off the structure. It took a lot of upper body strength, as well as, cooperation to accomplish the task.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The vines were gathered into a huge pile, almost as tall as the children.  A conversation began as the children looked at the pile.  Some decided that it looked like a giant bird nest.  I suggested that they could use the vines to create a habitat for an animal. 

 

 

Several different nests were created.  Two classmates worked together to create a giant nest, big enough for them to stand in.

 

 

 

 

Several boys made a medium sized nest.

And the girls made two smaller nests.

 

This impromptu activity is a good introduction for our next project.

 

In the next few weeks, we will be exploring animal habitats to gain an understanding of the materials and construction techniques used by different animals.