Young Explorers Program Mondays until June 1st (ages 3-5)

Young Explorers, ages 3-5: a new generation of ecologists

It’s spring, a time when nature renews itself. Everything is in bloom, there are ducklings on the pond, worms and frogs are making their return… “Young Explorers”, ages 3-5, who have been meeting at Sheldrake Environmental Center since fall and throughout what seemed to be a never-ending winter, are getting ready to experience this most magical and exciting time of year. But, was their journey through the other seasons any less inspiring? Not according to the dedicated naturalists who got to lead them on their natural adventures. Here are some of the highlights of their explorations that the naturalists shared with us.

Fall’s Colorful Leaves and So Many Seeds

· We started out in the drizzle and gathered big bouquets of giant sycamore leaves and other special leaves in different colors from maple, oak, beech, and tulip trees.

· We made leaf rubbings from the pressed leaves.

· We talked about seeds in the apples and the ones we found outside: acorns and beech nuts and hickory nuts.

· We carved a Jack-O-Lantern and saved the seeds (these seeds were roasted so they could be enjoyed as snack).

Welcome to the Winter Wonderland

· Even though the snow was deep, we managed to go for a nice, sunny walk. Before we left, we drew a list for a scavenger hunt of things that we thought we might see. Our list included: a tree with leaves, a squirrel dray at the top of a tree, a squirrel, birds, mammal paw prints, bird foot prints, a groundhog, a deer and a wasp nest. We did not see the groundhog out yet (probably saw the weather and decided to go back underground!) and we did not see any deer. But, we did see everything else on our list.

· Though most adults have had enough of the snow this year, the children said they are still enjoying playing in it. Yes, there is still plenty of snow on the trails and the pond is still frozen. Soon enough, it will be just a happy memory for the children so I want them to enjoy the beauty and fun of winter outside at Sheldrake while it lasts.

· We talked about using our “super hero” powers to observe nature. We caught snowflakes on black construction paper and, using our lenses, observed that they all had six points.

· Sheldrake continues to be a winter wonderland! Some of the children found a yardstick outside, so we used it to measure the snow. It was 18 inches deep, and I’m not even sure I got the stick all the way down to the ground because of the ice!

Signs of Spring

• We did notice a sure sign of spring, which was a small swarm of flying insects (bat food!).
• We practiced our super hero listening (eyes closed, ears pushed forward, mouths quiet) and heard lots of birds singing and lots of dripping melted snow - more signs of spring!
• We went out in “search of spring.” We talked about a very special, favorite plant called skunk cabbage. It can produce its own heat and melt the snow covering it and come right up out of the snow. I showed them pictures of its deep red primitive flower. The deep red flower comes out first and then the large cabbage type leaves will quickly hide the flower as it gets warmer.

Finally, the naturalists expressed how fun it would be to show the children what happens next in spring, now that the children “are feeling quite comfortable with their little corner of nature here at Sheldrake”.

The Young Explorers program is for children ages 3 to 5. Children can participate on Mondays from 1:30pm to 3:30pm or on Thursdays from 11:45am to 1:45pm. The program is running until the first week of June.

Sheldrake Environmental Center is a non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire environmental awareness and action in the community, and to preserve, protect and enhance local environmental resources. The center is located at 685 Weaver Street in Larchmont, NY. More information on Sheldrake and its programs can be obtained by visiting www.sheldrakecenter.org, or by contacting Amy at (914)834-1443 or at scheduling@sheldrakecenter.org.

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