Moving into Dormancy

As the calendar changes to December, we have noticed changes in the weather, our environment, and the animals in and around our spaces. These changes have led to shifts in our own human behavior, including adjustments in our schedules and routines. We are now starting our days in our indoor spaces, on the first floor of the main building, which we call The Great Room, The Den, and The Bird Room (also including the hallway bathroom and the Bird Room bathroom). Beginning inside, when the temperature is at its coldest, allows children to settle into the day comfortably and having our first gathering of the day, when we are seated and calm, in a warm space where we can be focused on each other and our work together, rather than simply keeping warm. Half groups go outside during B.E.A.M. time and we go outside as a whole group after lunch, getting to experience our outdoor environment at different times of day. We also, of course, go outside for special work and investigations, like the first snowflakes falling! We were lucky enough to experience an early December snow, squeezing in one day of sledding before a bit of melting and then the icy cold. Even on the coldest days, we have found safe (and shortened) ways to be outside, visiting the creek and moving our bodies on the playground. During inside choice time, we have reveled in our cozy book book den under the loft, explored light in many different ways, and made preparations for Winter Celebration.

We start each day at Morning Gathering with a question or prompt that supports us to dive deeper into our winter investigations. One way we are organizing our research and knowledge about what animals and plants do in the winter is by creating a visual chart, with categories for hibernation, adaptation, and migration. After we sing "hello" to the three animals in our morning song bag, we use books, the internet, and our own background knowledge to sort the animals into their respective categories. While sorting our animals, we realized we needed a new category, for animals that live in places without cold winter weather or animals that depend on humans to survive (like cats and dogs). We are also learning about the plants and trees in our space, as we learn about how deciduous trees (like maples) and evergreens (like cedars, pines, and spruces) experience dormancy in different ways. Humans are included in this We will continue to add to our system, as we still have many wonderings and curiosities about plants and animals during this time of year! 

The questions we thought about last week and this week at Morning Gathering prompted us to take different perspectives. One of our Morning Message questions this week was: what food would you bring to hibernate? We had to think not only about the foods we enjoyed eating, but what might bring us energy and be good to eat after a long nap, like our bear neighbors. Friends suggested foods that included tacos, burritos, flies, a large hot dog, peppers for all of the Sunnies, ranch dressing, and snow! Another question had us brainstorming ideas for what might be an appropriate gift for the maple trees, as they enter their period of dormancy before sap season. We had to consider a tree's perspective, instead of what we (humans) would want and came up with ideas such as scarf, hat, music, decorations or jewelry, pillow, lights like a moon or lanterns, jingle bells, wind chimes, plants (around the tree), fort, book (reading), and playing with the tree. We have also been talking more about the calendar, as 2025 draws to a close and there are many events and holidays upcoming that children are looking forward to. But, without a calendar or a clock, how do animals and plants know when to get ready for winter? We have so much we are wondering and learning together! These daily discussions often prompt new investigations, tie different themes and strands of knowledge together, and provide children opportunities to share what they know and think.

Once we learned that many animals build cozy dens and burrows for the winter, we had to start building our own! First, we began with mini blocks and forest animals, but quickly we realized our mini-mes would also a love a cozy space. Using unit blocks as our base building materials, we also offered scarves, battery-operated tea lights, and larger loose parts to create winter forest scenes, that included homes for our mini-me characters. Children had the idea to add decorations, so that each mini-me could also celebrate winter holidays, so we created a garland out of scrap fabric to hang above the block area. Other children wanted to add pillows and blankets to the space, so we learned how to sew those items. It was a multi-step process that involved choosing fabric, ironing, creating a paper pattern, cutting and sewing, adding stuffing, and then finishing and using our amazing creations! We are excited to see where these foundational skills lead as we apply them to new projects

After spending some time learning how to protect our bodies from the cold weather, it was time for the Sunnies to enjoy the excitement that comes with freezing temperatures. Not only did our gear look different, but our playground did too. There was snow everywhere! We enjoyed sledding and worked together to find ways to use snow and incorporate it into our play. The cold temperatures also helped the snow and resulting ice stick around, so we could explore it over many days. We were excited to find ice in new places, like frozen into our mugs or inside the big tractor tires, and use it for "cooking" concoctions and different kinds of games.

In preparation for Winter Celebration, we have been walking around campus to meet the named maple trees who give us most of our sap harvest. We stop at each, practicing our Wassail songs, and giving the trees love and attention. We can't wait to welcome our families to Winter Celebration, where you will be able to meet Beetle, Grandmother Maple, and all the maple trees who call Randolph School home! One more week to go!