May 3 - Dancing Rainbows and Big Sticks

Our first May Nests session began breezy. We met under the bright sun in the garden to get curious about roots. We wondered, what is a root? And what is going on under the soil in our garden? Friends began a collage project together that split a piece of paper in half.

One half represented what was happening under the soil, and the other half represented what was above it.

Friends cut tissue paper and scrap paper and used glue to affix their creations. L cut a carrot from orange paper and added green leaves, then glued the root beneath the ground. K cut pieces of purple tissue paper and added them to the project.

The wind blew large pieces of Lycra that we had tied to the bushes. We decided to dance around the garden with large and small pieces of the glimmering fabric. We laughed as we tossed them into the air and let them go, watching the wind scoop them up and carry them away. We tried passing them to each other or running while holding onto them and making our own wind. S, R, and K hid underneath the larger swaths of Lycra, and we wondered where they had gone off to until… surprise! They emerged.

Simple items like fabric can be brought to life in new ways through our own creativity. The invitation of wind and fabric became so much more through our play. As children experimented with movement, hiding, tossing, and chasing, we noticed how the fabric seemed to shift between object, shelter, costume, and companion depending on the needs of the moment.

Then we met on the blanket to do a science experiment together. We split the stem of a dandelion into four sections and pulled them toward the flower until we had four dangling pieces of stem. Then we submerged the stem into water, letting the dandelion float on top. As we watched, the stem curled into tight spirals.

This process is possible through osmosis. The outside of the stem is hydrophobic and rejects water, while the inside of the stem is hydrophilic and absorbs water. When we split the stem, we expose the interior, which takes on water through osmosis while the exterior remains rigid, causing the stem to curl!

The transformation sparked many careful observations and excitement. Some children leaned in closely, watching the spirals form!

Then it was time to decide where to go on our adventure. K said, “The fountain,” and R said, “The woods,” which worked out perfectly because a path into the woods was right behind the fountain. We made sure to put on lots of bug spray before heading out of the garden. The fountain was still too cold to climb into, but we brought sticks to splash in the water. Some friends were determined to head to the woods, so we checked in with everyone to let them know which path we were taking.

T, R, H, and L led the way down the path. We identified plants as we walked and eventually emerged in another garden. We were surprised when M popped out from another path, and then together we found a secret set of stairs and descended. When we reached the bottom, we arrived at the field where the dried grasses of winter and fall had given way to the bright green shoots of spring.

T and L found a spot to snack together while R and H frolicked in the grass under the bright sun. The bigger friends headed up another path, with our younger friends following behind. Then we found a path that circled around and around, giving some of us a chance to catch up.

We found a large stick on the path, just like in our story from last week, Robin and the Stick. We wondered again, what makes something a stick? One friend could not lift it alone, but when four friends worked together, the stick made it off the ground. Moments like these seemed to invite shared problem-solving and collective meaning-making, as children returned to familiar questions through their bodies, stories, and collaboration.

L showed her friends how they could slide down a small hill of pine needles, and then we headed to the tree swing.

At the tree swing, we took turns, even though it was hard. Baby A arrived to watch and take everything in as we played. Then we headed back to the circle to sing together. We sang Open Shut Them and the ABCs for Baby A, who banged on the drum to the beat.

Then it was time to sing Love Is a Circle and say our goodbyes.

Thanks for being part of Brave Nature Collaborative.

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