Hello, Sweet Families!
What wonderful weather for us to begin our “Animals in Winter” theme! Although this week was cut a bit short by the snowy storm, it left us with a Winter Wonderland just outside our door in which to play. We had lots of extra fun playing and sliding on the big hill and around the big pines. We found animal tracks together and guessed what creature made them, and we caught falling snowflakes and looked up close at them with magnifying glasses. Inside our classroom we began talking about all the different ways different animals spend their long Winter days. We are building a big bulletin board together so that we can remember what it’s all about!
This week we learned about hibernation. We read some wonderful books, including “Over and Under the Snow,” all about animal behaviors. We learned about how animals prepare for hibernation, from all the extra food they hunt and gather, how they thicken themselves up to stay warm, and how they build their dens, such as how elaborate chipmunk dens can be, with different “rooms” and doors. We learned that bears are very light sleepers and experience “torpor,” a light version of hibernation, so they can easily wake up for a bit and then go back to sleep. We also learned about how other creatures such as salamanders and frogs burrow down into the mud and soil to sleep all Winter. We talked about how their heartbeats slow way down and their body temperatures drop deeply. We learned that frogs can freeze solid and their hearts can stop completely, but they’re still alive. We even made some fun “frogsicles” to remind us of this amazing phenomenon! We made lots of fun crafts and did lots of cozy reading together in our hibernation den. We are also enjoying lots of Winter songs and poems and will be adding several of them to our special journals.
Next week we will be continuing our Winter Animal Behavior unit and learn about Migration and Adaptation together. I have lots of fun activities planned for the coming week! Thank you for remembering to send lots of cozy gear for your child. This week will continue to be quite cold, but we are having so much fun outside, always!
Warmth and peace,
Wynne
