Wild World Session 3 Day 4

After archery, obstacle course and Gratitude Circle, explorers finished writing their original play to be performed tomorrow for family and friends. Then we hiked to the white house for a lesson on plant adaptations. We talked about and looked at examples of how plants have adapted to survive in their environment. For example, many plants in the Tundra have acquired adaptations to help them stay warm like growing low to the ground and having fuzzy stems. After covering each biome(Tundra, Grassland, Temperate Forest, Rainforest and Desert) and examples of how the plant/trees have adapted to each location, the explorers designed and created their own plant/tree. They had to randomly choose a card that had one of the biomes on it and design/draw a plant that would be able to survive there. They had to be able to tell me how their plant would protect itself and gather nutrients in the selected biome. Then they named their plant. Afterwards, they played a card game I created called "Survivor Plants" They had to collect certain plant adaptations to survive in their biome. There are "wild cards", "nope cards" and the coveted "grow card" to make it interesting and strategic. Then we ate lunch and went to the creek to play and explore. After the creek, we had a lesson on native trees and plants. We talked about how to identify various common trees and plants here in Northeast Georgia (Eastern Red Cedar, Sweet Gum, Virginia Creeper, Muscadine, Dandelion, etc). We also talked about their importance to woodland critters and humans. Did you know every part of the dandelion is edible and was used as medicine by Native Americans for upset stomach as well as other ailments? Then we went on a scavenger hunt to find the trees and plants we had just learned about. Also, Explorers took home their wet felted snakes they made on Tuesday.