With the beautiful spring weather arriving last week, we took the opportunity to take the children outside to do some inquiry work. We have been thinking about how humans and animals help each other, and what we could do to help by designing a garden for the bees and butterflies.

We took our easel outside with photographs of the flowers we knew would attract and sustain these very important insects. Adding these first to their plan, the children were then asked to use their creative mind to add other things they thought would also attract the butterflies and bees to our garden. Many children wrote small signs with things like “Welcome bees!” Several children also included some form of water, especially sugar water, and also nectar pots. There were slides and swimming pools to have fun in too.

Mathematical thinking made a surprise appearance as one student began to measure the height of the flowers on the photographs we had brought outside. Others began to talk about the size of flowers – how big or small they are, and how tall. It was a reminder to us again that cross curricular connections are constantly being made by the children as they work on the inquiries, and how important it is for us to listen carefully as they build their knowledge and show their understandings.

The benefit of taking learning outside.
“By committing to learning both inside and outside the classroom, schools are able to teach children that learning occurs everywhere, at all times.”
(Independent School Parent Magazine)