Plants, Trees and Communication

We had a wonderful week with so much going on.

First off, we've been learning a lot about plants and trees in both the classrooms and the studio.  In 440 they've been using a democratic approach to name each of the plants they grew from cuttings.

In the studio we've been talking about root systems and how plants communicate beneath the soil.

We collaborated to create a forest of our own with root systems that can interconnect to simulate the understory beneath our feet (playfully termed the wood wide web).

On Friday we had an all school assembly to share some of what we've learned and to watch these two gorgeous and informative videos about seeds and tree-talk.  Click these links with your child to watch again, together:

A beautiful animated video called "Story of Flowers"

The Wood Wide Web: How Trees Secretly Talk to Each other

We even planted a tree that was dying in the studio. We know it won't likely make it through the changing weather but to give it a fighting chance the children came up with the great idea of surrounding it with ice to create a slow-melt, drip system.  Genius.

And that's just a little of what we were up to this week...

Here's a photo tease to share a little more:

 We made impromptu banana muffins with some over ripe's that were left over from snack. Yum!

 We've been getting messy and creating art with our shaving cream paints.

 The toddlers spent Friday in the studio making music and creating in a variety of medias.

We are always exploring ways to foster relationship and collaborations.  Our clear standing easel is a prime example.

I love this job!

For more reading click on this great article about cultivating children's love of nature by giving them opportunities to take risks and explore.

And this article exploring how nature sounds help you to relax.

I hope you enjoy the natural world outside your door and be sure to listen for the hidden song of trees all around you.

See you next week.