On Thursday, the group that started outside spent virtually the entire morning playing in the forest and exploring the trail system near the school. During our travels, we found a beautiful turtle! As we approached, he pulled his head and legs into his shell. We talked about the ways turtles protect themselves from people and predators. We didn’t touch him, but we watched him for a long time. We tried to guess what type of turtle he could be. One student thought he might be “one of those pinching turtles.” We wondered why he was sitting in the middle of the path. We talked about how turtles are reptiles and since reptiles are cold blooded, they need heat from the sun to warm their bodies. Maybe he was sunbathing! After watching him for a while, we continued on our way and found a toad! How lucky to see une tortue AND un crapaud in one morning!
A few hours later when we returned to the spot where we had first seen the turtle, he was gone! “Did he go back to the ocean to swim with his family?” one student wondered. We thought that since turtles move slowly, he might still be nearby, but we didn’t see him again.
When we got back to school, we got some turtle books from the library and watched a short video clip on the computer. From his smooth, brownish-grey shell, the yellow lines on his head, and the red markings on his neck and legs, we determined that the turtle we found was a Painted Turtle. They are very common in this part of Ontario, and can often be seen basking on logs. We learned how turtles are excellent swimmers that would probably love living near the ponds in Hanlon Creek Park. We talked about how turtles dig holes in a muddy riverbank and hibernate during the winter. We read about some of the things turtles eat and how they lay eggs in soft sand. Some children were interested in learning more about snapping turtles and sea turtles. Perhaps we will do some more research next week. What a wonderful morning!
Please continue to check our class calendar for upcoming events.
Upcoming Events:
On June 3rd we will be walking to the fire station. We had an overwhelming number of parents volunteer to come with us; however, we can only have so many people on the tour. Thank you for your understanding. We will contact the parents that will be coming with us via email and let you know what time to be at school.
Please join us on June 16th at 12h30 for our End of Year Kindergarten Celebration Picnic!
The kindergarten team has organized a trip to RARE, a Charitable Research Reserve (http://www.raresites.org/) on June 18th. This is a great opportunity for the children to explore another forested area and the importance of being environmentally conscious. Please return the form as soon as possible with the following information: your child's name, your signature, and whether you can volunteer to come on the trip with us. Please also include $19.25 to cover the cost of the bus and entrance fee.
Have a great day!