Learning from home EY

Seesaw Nature Activities

Sketching treesFind a tree in your yard. If you don't have trees, do you have a shrub? Can you go to a park and sit on a bench near a tree? Draw a sketch of the tree. Take your time and look very closely. Try to draw exactly what you see. Maybe it's easier to choose just one branch to sketch. Decide what part of the tree you want to sketch, just make sure you come back to the same branch next week. Draw the same tree on the same day of the week. How does your tree change as it leafs-out? How does your sketch change? Post a photo of your tree and your sketch.

Listen to the birdsGo outside and listen to the birds in your yard or on a walk. Visit All About Birds (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/) and see if you can figure out which birds are making which sounds. Try this: Listen for the black-capped chickadee's springtime song (sweet-ee). Listen to it here so you know what it sounds like: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-capped_Chickadee/sounds. If you can, pitch your song just a bit lower. A female chickadee is attracted to chickadees that sound big and healthy, and a lower tone signifies a larger, stronger bird. Does a chickadee respond to your imitation?

Spring sounds like: Sound mapYou will need: a piece of paper with an X in the centre a hard book or clipboard to hold your paper something to draw with 1. Choose a spot with a lot of different sounds. Somewhere in your backyard, or near a creek or a ditch (in spring) is a good place. 2. Find a comfortable spot to sit. The X represents where you are sitting. Every time you hear a sound, mark where you heard it. Pay attention to if the sound was near by or far away and try to represent that on your map. 3. Use simple symbols. 4. Sit for 10 minutes, if you can. 5. Upload your map and tell about the different sounds you heard.

Spring looks like: Watch the leaves openingSnip off a few twigs with little buds using a scissor or pruning shears. Put them in water and place near a window. With any luck, the buds will open up and leaves and/or flowers will emerge. Be sure to sketch some of the twigs and emerging leaves in a journal or on a piece of paper. Upload a photo of your twigs and drawings here.

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