Nature Connections

This space is created to share children's work and discoveries! Thank you for sharing! I'm so happy to see what nature means to you and your family. It brings me great joy to share nature with you!

Inspired by nature :) Michelle

I hope you are all enjoying exploring, observing, studying, and investigating nature. Is anyone journaling? Thank you William and Zora for sharing yours!

WOW Emmy! Sense of place is important and I love oreos :)

Vlad and his family are really enjoying the warm weather outside, each other and the nature in their yard. You have inspired me to search for nettles!

We just picked more nettles this last weekend. This plant is amazing, I think:), we are using nettles since we were kids back in Romania. It has so many minerals, vitamins. We are making pesto or puree out of it, using in smoothies, making tea, drying the leaves and use them in the winter: for tea, for hair mask, or ground the leaves and add to the food - nettle powder it's a valuable powder! When Vlad had a very bad poison ivy and poison oak infection last fall, I treated him successfully with Swedish Bitter, nettle tea (it has natural histamine) etc, it wasn't necessary to use ointment with steroids from pharmacy.

I have enjoyed our daily zooms this week! I have missed your peaceful spirit, curious nature, and kind hearts! It brings me great joy to hear from some students on your natural experiences; Brody has 6 pigs as big as his dog Gunner. Zora and Merryl found lots of mussels on their hike as big as a cookie. Mason showed us a pine cone much larger than the ones in our playground, big as his face. Declan and Rhonin have colorful spring flowers that they will plant in their yard and we counted 6 red tulips. Maggie's baby sibling is due in the next 2-3 weeks. Tyler, Hayden, and Mila and us all agreed and teared up a bit on how much we loved seeing and talking to one another because we miss each other and our amazing Montessori school so much! Thank you for your teacher appreciation. We are all in this together!

Keep on smiling :) Michelle

Michelle's works for the Earth...

Plastic is a global problem in our lakes and oceans and that's why I made this hat and designed this outfit for Recycled Runway, a clean water cause in Erie County. Can you tell what I made it from? The next Upcycled Runway is November 2020. They still need designers!

My watercolor painting of OWC from the observation deck on the blue trail

Collages are fun for the whole family or class to participate in. cut objects from newspaper draw or clip from magazines.

I make Tshirt quilts and reusable bags, check out my squares.

water bear... because they are everywhere!

Jameson told me he was inspired by the muppet Kermit the Frog to make his own puppet. He explained to me how it works. Look at the detail in his design. He figured out his own mechanics and he decorated it. What a fun Earth Day project! There is so much we can do with puppets for expression. Make them out of recyclable objects, popsicles sticks, fabric, glue or tape. Make a puppet state with cardboard and fabric. Create a skit for family and enjoy!

Thank you Keelie, I enjoyed your art lesson. Here is my kitty.

Thank you Katie, here is my Earth drawing. Together we make a difference!

Here is my Lorax mustache. "UNLESS someone like you cares a whole lot, nothing is going to get better, it's not."

Thank you Janet for the wonderful rainbow art lesson.

Trace your hand and draw an Eagle's nest with two eaglets like the ones living at OWC.

Thank you Emmy for sharing Arbor Day art!

Daily zoom lessons have been a special time for Montessori families and teachers. Connect with us, we miss you!

Hi friends, how is distant learning going for you?

Earth Day art reflection on the importance of bees.

William is a good helper in the yard!

Zora studies a deer skeleton

Elementary made instruments from recycled materials, how cool.

Thank you Janet! My art is getting better with each lesson :) I drew the sloth for my senior.

I dedicated my giraffe to my 6'3'' freshman son.

This reminded me of my amazing husband for so many reasons.

Please share stories, thank you's or pictures that I can sent to ESWCD!

I planted four seed bombs, at each corner of my raised strawberry and asparagus patch. I can't wait to see them grow! More pics later :)


Sam P.

Mila

Zora

Counting beach glass, and representing emotions. It may be used to make a windchime, jewelry, or an art project. Make a picture or objects from beach glass.

fabric collages are fun to make. It helps if you iron them first before you glue them ;)

I did not have colored paper or pipe cleaners for Janet's art lesson , so I improvised with fabric.

Here is an art project in Spanish with Kelsey. Thanks Franky for your gift.

Thanks Janet! Nice job Franky!

Make an herb garden!

Thanks Kelsey for your shape scavenger hunt! Have fun cutting and drawing shapes!

PLANTS-hunt, cook, eat, grow, draw, dissect, and identify...enjoy :)

Morrel Mushroom hunting

wash them and soak them

fry them

make pizza

Thanks Katie J for your lesson.

Yummy lettuce wraps, I had so much fun picking ingredients for mine :)

Janet thanks for teaching us flower parts. Here are different shapes & species in my garden.

It's creative using different materials to make plant and pollinator art. Save your bottle caps, they can not be recycled but are great for projects!

Zooming outside at Lakefront park was beautiful, refreshing, and inspiring. Thank you Katie J!

There are so many ways to graph wildlife!

off balance

balance

Taylor taught us about items that sink or float. Here are my materials.

Kermit noticed some items float.

Kermit noticed some items sink.

Kermit says "It's not easy being Green." Lake Erie has natural and unnatural materials in it. We can do better my friends. We depend on Lake Erie. Keep it healthy and it will keep us healthy.

Soil (sediment) and chemicals (nutrient loading) are the biggest forms of pollution in Lake Erie caused by storm run off during storms. Too much Phosphorus feeds the algae and Nitrogen makes it toxic.

Natural debris floats and sinks in the Great Lakes. The great Lakes cap and the green beach glass are not natural. Glass is made from nature and nature refines glass by weathering and erosion processes.

Trash and unnatural things float and sink in the Great lakes. Plastic pollution is a big problem. Please pick up trash and reduce your human impact. You have a choice to be a solution to water pollution.

keys are magnetic my natural items and trash are not.

OWC Tour

Beach glass jewlery

trash and nature to treasure

I have an idea! What's your invention idea? Thank you Katie and Janet for a great tour of Milan and Edison's birthplace.

watercolor paint nature-Star Island from OWC deck on the blue trail