Four Winds

We are excited to bring programming from Four Winds Nature Institute to VUES! 

Four Winds is a volunteer-led, nature-based program that gets students out of the classroom and exploring the outside world around them. This year we are offering five units to our kindergarten through third grade, and offerings through Fusion after school.

In order to maintain (or expand) this valuable programming  we need your help! Current volunteers are stretched thin and additional volunteers greatly needed.  If you would like to become a Four Winds volunteer or learn other ways to support this programming, please contact the VUES Community Group at vuescgvt@gmail.com.

https://fwni.org/the-nature-program

EARTH 

Exploring Our Physical World

To develop a sense of place we need an understanding of the Earth itself – the ground beneath our feet, the air we breathe, the water that fills our lakes, streams and oceans, and the other living things that share our planet. Throughout the year, we will study the physical environment that supports life on Earth and the forces that shape the ever-changing landscape in which we live. We’ll look at the Earth’s geosphere when we study rocks and erosion, at the atmosphere when we learn about the blanket of air that surrounds us, and at the hydrosphere when we learn about the water cycle, winds, clouds and weather. Throughout we’ll consider the biosphere, the living things in our world, and explore the interactions between the living and nonliving components of the world around us. Students will also practice important skills including: listening actively, asking questions, making and recording observations, and communicating findings.

October/November - EROSION 

Our study of the geosphere begins with a look at how, over time, the powerful agents of erosion have shaped and formed our landscape. Gravity, water, wind and ice are constantly weathering, wearing away and moving rocks, soil, sand and sediments, and depositing them elsewhere. We’ll also consider the impact humans have on erosion, deposition and our ever-changing landscape.

December - ROCKS AND MINERALS

 Each pebble in a stream, each rock in a field tells a story about the earth's history. We’ll study the earth’s crust, looking at rocks and learning how they’ve been formed and reformed over and over again in the rock cycle. We’ll examine minerals, test their different properties and discover just how important they are to our everyday life.

January - BLANKET OF AIR

 Air is everywhere around us. We can't see it, taste it or smell it, but we depend on it for life itself. Experiments will help us discover the properties of air, understand the behavior of these invisible gases, and how important they are to life on our planet. 

March - THE WATER CYCLE

 The earth’s water circulates from the land to the air and back again in a never-ending cycle. In our study of the hydrosphere we’ll learn about water’s unique properties, and how precipitation, evaporation, transpiration, and condensation keep water on the move, circulating between the surface of the earth and the atmosphere.

May - GET YOUR BEARINGS

Many aspects of the physical world provide important clues and help guide us as we move from place to place. These landscape features, along with map, compass and other tools, help us orient, navigate and find our way as we explore the world. We’ll learn how both people and animals use the sun, natural landmarks, and the earth’s magnetic field to help recognize where we are, create mental maps of our environment and get to know our Earth.