One of the overarching themes in Junior Kindergarten is the study of habitats. While all habitats incorporate food, water, and shelter, those necessities don’t look the same for a snake, a squirrel, or a bear!
All year long, students have eagerly learned about the different adaptations that help animals survive and thrive in their habitats. So as leaves fall from the trees, this is the perfect time of year for JKers to study the forest habitat and the animals that call it home. To make the study more authentic and accessible, the JK teachers set up tents in the classroom.
Junior Kindergarten Teacher Ginny Otto shared, “The tents help us think about the forest environment as well as the food and water that we would take with us (or find in the woods) and how the tents fill the role of shelter for us in the forest. Plus, it’s just fun!”
Students also enjoyed different habitat stations with campfire building logs, pumpkin decorating, forest paintings, owl art, and forest-related books. There was something for everyone to explore, from s’mores (using white and brown math blocks) to finger-painting.
Junior Kindergarten Teacher Bridget Wallace remarked, “We love this unit of study! We have so much fun thinking about the forest and the animals that live there. One of our favorite animals to learn about is the owl – did you know that the smallest owl is the elf owl, which is about the same size as a cell phone!? We are also lucky to have a beautiful campus to explore; there are so many beautiful trees to look at, especially during the fall.”
When students were asked what they enjoyed the most about this habitat unit, they unanimously shared, “Everything!”
Happy fall to our JK students and all our forest friends!