Nature's Way Preschool

I'm sure you and your family go on lots of walks, but have you ever gone on a walk and focused on what you HEAR rather than what you SEE?  For today's Five Senses Friday activity, go on a listening walk in your neighborhood. Did you hear any of these sounds? What else did you hear?

Did you notice that our last two posts were all about mammals?  If you need a reminder on what exactly makes an animal a mammal, check out the books below for this week's Tales from the Trail Thursday ! 1. Born in the Wild by Lita Judge 2. A Mammal is an Animal by Lizzy Rockwell 3. Is a Camel a Mammal? By Tish Rabe 4. Animals Born Alive and Well by Ruth Heller

Yesterday, we practiced identifying common animal tracks. For today's Wild Wednesday , we will focus on a different clue animals leave behind- scat, otherwise known as poop! Use the graphic below to assist with identifying animal scat in your neighborhood. 

Sometimes, wild animals come very close to our homes and our favorite parks, but they sneak away before anyone sees them. But when conditions are just right, they can leave clues behind. For today's Teaching Tuesday , use the graphic below to learn about common Texas animal tracks, and see which ones you can find in your neighborhood!

For today's Mindfulness Monday , can you find your own rainbow in nature? Go outside and search for every color in the rainbow. To help remember your nature finds, you can take a picture or draw them!

Did you know baking can be an excellent science experiment? Let's bake something today that smells and tastes delicious for  Five Senses Friday ! Using Elizabeth's simple and fun recipe,  learn how to make your own banana bread. To make this, you will need: 1 3/4 cups flour 1/3 cup sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda A pinch of salt 1/3 cup vegetable or coconut oil  1 teaspoon vanilla extract 4 small or 3 large overripe bananas 1/4 cup milk

Do you know what a puffin is? If you do, how might it be similar to a goldfish? A helicopter? How about a penguin?  Join Elizabeth to read "Nothing Like a Puffin" by Sue Soltis in today's Tales from the Trail Thursday. After the story, invent your own birds using loose parts!

Did you know Austin is home to a large colony of Mexican Free-Tailed Bats? They roost right under the Congress Bridge. If you visit the bridge at dusk during warmer months, you might see them flying out in search of some food. When bats look for food they use echolocation, which is a process in which animals use sound to tell them the locations of things, like their dinner! For today's Wild Wednesday , play the Bat Game to learn more about how echolocation works!

In this week's Teaching Tuesday , we will take a look at some more wonderful species that require a bit of caution if you encounter them. Use the graphic below to get to know some venomous spiders and snakes that can be found in Austin. 

Happy Monday! Practicing yoga has been shown to improve children's balance, strength, and mental well-being. For today's Mindfulness Monday , pose with Elizabeth as she demonstrates a simple spring yoga flow. 

One of the best (and easiest) sensory projects for young children is just playing outside!  In today's Five Senses Friday, follow along with Elizabeth as she gathers some loose parts in nature. She will use those parts to play the game "Sink or Float?", make a few mud pies, and even some art! 

Read along with Elizabeth as she shares the book "The Extraordinary Egg" by Leo Lionni in today's Tales from the Trails Thursday .  In this story, three frogs stumble upon an amazing egg! I wonder might hatch out of it... After the story, make your own mysterious and extraordinary egg with leftover easter eggs and some natural loose parts!

Join Kat for this week's edition of Wild Wednesday to learn about seahorses, one of the most interesting fish in the ocean.  You might not be able to put a saddle on these creatures, but they're still lots of fun!

Now that spring is upon us and we are spending increasingly more time outside, we must remember that we might be entering the home of many kinds of wildlife!  For today's Teaching Tuesday , use the graphic below to learn about some local flora and fauna who require a bit of extra space while exploring.

Making art can be an invaluable tool for helping us make sense of and processing our emotions.  In today's Mindfulness Monday, join Caroline as she walks you through ways you can paint, draw, or sculpt your feelings.

Make your own Moon Sand with Elizabeth in today's Five Senses Friday ! To do this, you will need: Flour Vegetable or baby oil  Measuring cups Large bowl Optional: Food coloring, liquid watercolors, or Kool-Aid for color

When someone asks 'what color is the sky?' our first answer is almost always 'blue!'. But when you think about all the times you have looked up to the sky, I bet you can think of at least 3 other colors besides blue! In today's Tales from the Trail Thursday , read "Sky Color" by Peter H. Reynolds with Elizabeth. After the story, you can create your own sky color!

Have you ever seen something light up in nature- like a plant or an animal? Do you know why or how it happened? Join Kat for today's Wild Wednesday about glowing nature!

For today's Teaching Tuesday , we thought we'd share something different with you... an activity you and your children can both learn from!  Use our graphic below to go on a Wildflower Scavenger Hunt in your neighborhood or nearby park. 

  It may be spring now, but just a few weeks ago Austin was covered in several inches of snow! Play along with Caroline in this week's  Mindfulness Monday  as she acts out a winter movement storytime. 

  Do you know what makes Ivory Soap so special?  Join Elizabeth as she experiments with it in this week's  Five Senses Friday . She gets some very exciting (and surprising) results!

One of our favorite activities at school is cloud-watching. Sometimes we see whales, sometimes dinosaurs, sometimes big ships... what do you see when you look up at the clouds? "Duck! Rabbit!" by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld is a silly story about seeing things differently. Follow along with Elizabeth as she reads it in this week's Tales from the Trail Thursday .