Shulamith ECC explores nature

It may be cold outside, but in Shulamith Early Childhood Center the birds are chirping and the trees are blooming. Through the study of trees and birds, the children are learning so much in every curriculum area.

The study of trees began with a nature walk to visit our favorite local trees. The children examined the trees from roots to crown, learning new vocabulary and the function of each of the parts of the tree. They made rubbings of the bark, collected twigs and branches, and measured the width of different trees by seeing how many children are needed to hug them.

Shulamith ECC explores nature

Back at school, the children went on wood hunts and constructed wood sculptures, tree collages, and easel paintings full of green and brown. They examined the rings in a large tree branch and thanked Hashem for all the amazing things we get from trees.

Birds live in trees, and the children were thrilled to have the opportunity to host Devorah Vegh’s adorable pair of birds. Sunny and Cookie visited each class giving the children the chance to observe them, ask questions, and even sketch them. After seeing real birds “up close and personal,” the girls enthusiastically prepared bird feeders for Shabbat Shira to thank the birds for their help in the Midbar.

Of course, fruits grow on trees, and our young scientists had a wonderful time examining various fruits from peel to core. The most special ones grow in Eretz Yisrael, and the children were excited to have the opportunity to learn about them. They inspected real wheat stalks and ground wheat kernels into flour which produced delicious cookies. The children tasted barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, and dates. The pre-1a students were determined to figure out how many seeds are in a rimon, so they grouped the seeds in cups of ten seeds each to count them. What a wonderful (and delicious) math lesson!

The unit of study culminated with a Tu B’Shvat seder in the Congregation Sons of Israel ballroom where the children had the opportunity to really appreciate the special role played by trees in the beautiful world Hashem gives us. A special thank you to Sons of Israel for being such good neighbors!

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