Remote learning week #2 - The Vernal Equinox

I am coming to you live from my backyard this week. In all this sunshine and crisp wind, it makes me sad that we cannot meet just as spring is waking up, but on the bright side I am excited to see what spring is looking like where you are in the photo album (which I am SO thankful to those of you who have posted--it really is what community is about: inspiring one another and sharing ideas)

The BLURB about the Theme: 
So I will be less overwhelmed with the amount of activities I include in this email, but the key things are: a waking up and a show of color with the change of season! The word "equinox" means "equal night", meaning that we have equal day and night now as the sun is shining so much on the Northern hemisphere, giving us our lovely Spring and Autumn!

1- Activities for times in our day when we are just beginning, winding down, need rest, or want to spend time reflecting:

Take in a Poem 
- Read the Poem while you are all nice and cozy sometime at the beginning of the day: on a blanket under clouds, in a hammock, in a nest made of blankets, hands around a warm cup of tea, around a fire...you get the picture
- Poem suggested "Written in March" by William Wordsworth 

Using "Owl Eyes" and "Deer Ears" 
Take some Binoculars (real, or made out of toilet paper rolls) to their sit spot and then have them look for color, buds on bushes, new leaves on trees, bees buzzing
- The kids have been practicing these skills from "Coyote Mentoring" where the Owl's Eyes don't move in their sockets! but they have to turn their heads as they focus forward. 
- Dear Ears are where the kiddos cup behind or in front of their ears depending on where the sound is coming from, to amplify it. 

Nature Journals (these can be taken to sit spots too) Paint or draw some of the flowers, buds, or new leaves in detail that you found with spring waking up. 

2- Here are some activities for when kiddos are ready to be inspired, want to focus on a project, or when they want to be in motion:

Frozen Spring Ornaments:
- Gather colorful items from your yard from Spring and have the kiddos spread them out among muffin tin trays, 
- fill with water and then lay a looped string at the edge so that a bit will get frozen in the freezer. 
- put in the freezer, and then when frozen you have a BEAUTIFUL springtime ornament for your tree outside 

Map Out Spring 
Draw a big map of your neighborhood/yard and then go walking, drawing landmarks and signs of spring that you see!

Day and Night Cupcakes:
- Since we have equal night and day (and if you like to  bake) make some chocolate cupcakes, and some vanilla
- then make white icing and some blue and yellow
- make some MOON cupcakes, and then decorate some SUN cupcake
- then feast on them. you must do this part in order to get the fullness of the activity. 

Family Game of Fox Feet
Have your kiddo lay something in front of their lap to guard with their eyes covered (for those more experienced pick something that can make a noise if handled roughly) We will call this person "it" a mole: they have horrible vision, but keen hearing
- Then have the rest of the family make a perimeter around them and slowly attempt with fox feet (toe, heel, toe heel) to reach the middle, take the object and get away to starting point. 
- If a person makes it back with the object, that person is in the middle as the next mole
- If the mole hears any movement they need only raise their paw and point in the direction of the sound and that fox has to go back

Have fun, stay healthy, and let me know if you have any questions! 
Robin