We went on a nature walk the day after the storm. We decided to search for clues from the previous night's storm. This was so much fun and was also a great way to have kids working on scientific inquiry, making hypotheses, inferencing; These were the kids' observations:
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| "The worm slid into the water." This bowl was filled with rainwater and had a live worm in it! |
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| Wet footprints |
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| "Wet grass!" |
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| "The storm broke off the branches." Neighbor Nick trimming broken branches |
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| "Bark comes off the dead trees (when there's rain)." |
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| New growth! (This one was actually my observation) |
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| The children noticed that part of the Christmas lights were hanging off; the storm must have done that! |
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| "Grass doesn't grow on the sidewalk." The storm moved cut grass from a lawn to the sidewalk. |
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| Broken branches |
The question,
What do you see that makes you say that? is from Visual Thinking Strategies, a technique that builds critical thinking and language skills. Interestingly enough, it was developed by a cognitive psychologist, Abigail Housen, who had been studying with Howard Gardner (of Multiple Intelligences) and Philip Yenawine (Director of Museum of Modern Art in the 80s) as a way to help young people engage with fine art exhibits. Read more
here.
