In the “little forest”, the children heard a sound.
A group of toddlers were sitting in the snow talking about squirrels when a tiny little chirping noise was heard. “What’s that noise?” a child asked.
“I wonder what it could be,” an educator replied.
The children sat silent until the noise was heard again. “I hear it!” a child called out and tilted their head towards the sky. “Up there!”
One of the children lay down in the snow and looked up. “I don’t see,” they said but continued to lie down.
A bird flew over and landed in the tree above where they children were gathered and made a noise.
“Oh, I hear something,” a child commented. The child then closed their eyes and lay down. “I hear more birdies.” Two other children lay down and closed their eyes. In the silence the bird could be heard chirping. “Chicken,” one child said. “Chickadee?” the educator replied. “Yeah, chickendees,” another child confirmed. They opened their eyes and lifted their right arm up. “There it is!” The bird sat in the tree above them and continued to chirp.
“Hear it,” a child said with their eyes closed.
“What else do you hear?” an educator asked.
“Chickendees,” the child replied.
So What?
- Activated their sense of hearing when they noticed the sounds around them
- Introduced mindfulness as they lay and listened
- Investigated the source of the noise
- Recalled the name of a familiar bird when they called it a “chicken”
Now What?
- Continue to look for birds in their daily explorations
- Look at a picture of a chickadee- what does it look like?
- Determine if all birds make the same sounds.
- What size is a chickadee? How tall are you? Measure their bodies and compare.
- What does a chickadee eat?
