Creation Club – Ponds
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So here’s what I had envisioned.
A peaceful day at the pond with children who ever-so-quietly and diligently explored life in and around the pond. Children who would pull out their nature journals at every interesting find, writing lovely poems and prayers. A day of discovery and awe.
Here’s what happened.
Children racing around the pond, boys jumping in, muddy water, lots of laughing, and yet lots of exploring still. I’m not sure much nature journaling was accomplished, but most of the children went home with a cup full of nature to continue exploring. Their plan was WAY BETTER than mine!
Nature Club: Ponds
The day started in my house with prayer, a little pond talk and the making of our underwater viewfinders. (These are easy. Cut the bottom out of an old container – milk, 2-liter, large yogurt. If needed, cut a bit of the top out, too, so you can easily look down through the container. Cover the bottom with plastic wrap, securing with a rubber band or duct tape. Submerge the plastic side into water and see what you can find under the water!)
Then, off to the pond we went. The kids had to first walk all the way around the pond, observing life on the edges. They were supposed to journal something they found. (Notice these are all girls!)
Then, they used the viewfinders to look down into the water. Again, they were supposed to journal something they found.
Finally, they used jars tied to poles to scoop water and life out for observation. Again, they were supposed to journal something they found.
Talk about hands-on learning. I think we might even be able to call this body-on learning. They had so much fun and I’m sure learned a thing or two in the process. At least that’s what I’m still envisioning.
We brought home a bit of moss and pond water. This morning, we were able to identify at least SIX different forms of life in about a cup’s worth of water!! For sure we have some tadpoles, water bugs and tiny snails. There are also tiny, tiny, tiny specks swimming around, tiny, tiny, tiny snake-like creatures and some oblong clear eggs with no observable animals inside. I can’t wait to see what grows!
Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems is a book full of pond poetry. Yes, I had even carted this to the pond thinking some sweet child would just love to write poetry in their nature journal. It wasn’t cracked open until later in the house! HaHa!
Would YOU like to have wonderful pond studies? You can! Peaceful Ponds gives you all you need – except the pond.
Other posts you may enjoy:
Tips for Starting a Nature ClubDeciduous Trees Nature ClubEaster Nature Club
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