Awakening Our Senses in Nature
In first grade students will develop their sensory awareness to perceive subtle details, patterns, and changes in the environment. The natural world offers a diverse palette of sights, smells, noises, tastes, and textures for students to explore. Students will use their senses to observe seasonal changes and plant and animal features and adaptations. First grade ecoliteracy programs will meet the student’s innate curiosity with a rich multisensory experience to engage different learning styles as they develop an understanding of how plants and animals survive, grow, and meet their needs. Through exploration, songs, games, storytelling, and guided activities, students will come to know nature in new and exciting ways while learning to be good stewards of the earth.
NGSS Supported: 1-LS1-1, 1-LS1-2, 1-LS3-1
Topics and activities to choose from:
Listen to the Birds
Learn how birds survive and protect themselves and their babies. Explore nest building, camouflage, bird language and more as we learn from our feathered friends.
Plant Parts and Smarts
How do native plants survive where we live? Learn how their leaves, stems, roots, and seeds outsmart Southern California’s hot, dry climate while supporting native animals and soil. Create your own imaginary native plant that is perfectly adapted to live at your school.
Animal Senses and Tracking
Use your owl eyes to look for clues that can help you tell a story of what happened. All moving things leave behind traces as they go. Become a track detective and deepen your observations as you look for traces of movement around the school. Explore Earthroots Nature Museum artifacts and learn what tracks, scat, skulls, pelts, and feathers tell you about an animal.
Branching Out
Become familiar with a few of the trees around your campus. Learn about seasonal changes, the importance of trees, and how we can care for trees. Make a craft with part of a tree to take home.
Muddy Buddies
What do wet, wiggly worms and tickly, roly polys have to do with soil? Feel their cool bodies in your hand and watch them move. Get your hands dirty and observe these fascinating decomposers in this interactive soil workshop.