Spring Time!

Spring has sprung! It may be a bit chilly still, but the sun, the plants, and the wildlife are winning the battle against our wonderfully snowy winter! Our Flower Patch Kids have been busy noticing the changes they can see, feel, and hear outside. More birdsongs each morning brighten our day, as well as spring peepers chirping in the evenings. Colorful crocuses, snowdrops, and winter aconite are blooming and daffodil leaves are pushing up. Ladybugs who have been wintering in our classrooms are waking up and we gently put them outside on the fire escape. In the past week, we've moved back to our lean-tos in the afternoon to celebrate recent birthdays with treats, and we even spent one Choice Time morning outside. This week kids spent time happily getting reacquainted with our outdoor spaces. Now that we are  spending our mornings outside, we've been getting really up close to the flowers and doing some observational drawings. The new season has been the inspiration for several journal prompts. "What are the signs of spring?" "If you were a seed, what plant would you grow into?" "What do you like to do on a rainy day?" and more to come! Also, we found a cozy (but empty) wren's nest that was built inside the Hydrangea's lean-to. Truly a model of engineering and resourcefulness, as we noticed string, paper and bits of plastic woven into it!