Oh, What a Week!

Global Foundations Digest, Week of September 29, 2020

We had another amazing week at GFT!

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Tuesday at Holt Park!

    We thought we’d be testing our new-found outdoor adventure this Tuesday when the forecast called for rain all, day long on Tuesday.  Luckily (or not so luckily if you asked the kids!), the weather took a turn for the better, and we had an excellent day outside at Holt!

Timber!

     Through one of our hikes last week, the children discovered an amazing, forest oasis full of lean-tos and other human-made apparati.  The children quickly got to work modifying and improving what was already there.  The buzz surrounding their discussions including everything from material planning to demolition to why their bridge made a better obstacle course than bridge was amazing to observe.  

      They tearing down was as exciting as the building up, and everyone enjoyed lending a helping hand.  This also served as an excellent opportunity to discuss what type of clothing and shoes are appropriate to wear in the forest and why.  A certain director also realized she needs to practice what she preaches after gaining some gnarly cuts from some sticker bushes in the building process.  😉

Sunflowers!

     We all benefited from Ms. Jennifer’s home harvest when she brought in some beautiful and HUGE sunflower heads for the children to observe and explore today.  We estimated how many seeds were in each of the heads and got answers between 50-200.  Then we actually learned that there are actually 1,000-1,400 in each head!  The children had a blast extracting the seeds for future planting or roasting and then tossing the leftover pieces into the woods for the creatures to enjoy.

Turtles at 2(ish)!

      While we completely lucked out with the dry weather, our shelled friends needed some sunlight before being brought outside.  We learned that Poppy, the terrapin, needs to get into the natural sunlight so her shell does not rot.  While the naturalists have a UV lamp in her tank, they have found that the best way to combat the rot is to get her out in the sunlight 3-4 times per week for at least 20-30 minutes… and we’re happy to oblige! 

Thursday, October 1, 2020

Get to Know Towson Manor Park!

      With our Thursday partnership at The Children’s Chorus of Maryland, we’re so fortunate to have the beautiful Towson Manor Park so close by.  Because of its location, we have a number of ways we can make the short walk to CCM to use the restrooms and wash hands.

      One of the routes brings us through a neighborhood where all things fall are happening!  The children felt and smelled a variety of lavender plants, as well as stumbled upon this curious, second-floor door to nowhere that got them all buzzing about its possibilities.  

     They also took turns running the excavation project at the large sandbox.  We discussed which places would be better to check out first based upon the height of the sand mounds as well as whether or not the sand looked disturbed or not (of course, later leaders got tricky and smoothed out sections to evade the excavators).

      Grady brought in the book, “ The Monster at the End of This Book (starring lovable, furry old Grover)”, and the students ATE IT UP!  There were lots of giggles and following along, as well as taking a look at Grover’s facial expressions and fonts and colors on various pages and discussing how we know he is feeling a certain way before even reading the words.  Lots of fun was had by all as we ushered in a new month!

We have really hit our stride, and thank you for coming along for the ride! If you’re interested in hearing more about our program, volunteer opportunities to offset tuition, or are interested in our welcoming and inclusive umbrella, please drop us a line here. We’ll connect with you soon!