Taking Root in Nature

“Allow nature’s peace to flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.”
​-John Muir

One of our missions at ACG is to facilitate a deep connection to the natural world in order to open up children's innate sense of wonder, creativity, curiosity, and respect for our environment. When children are able to connect to Mother Earth, it helps them learn the importance of our earth’s resources and the impact humans can have on it! This lesson can last a lifetime and can, ultimately, create better global citizens for the future. 
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For more information about the benefits of nature-based learning, check out our past blog The Many Benefits of Nature-Based Learning.

See how we explored nature and it's educational benefits through trees this month below!

Using Trees for Art

Child-led stick painting! First find your favorite stick and then decorate!

Nature portraits

Tree tags

Tree slice necklaces

Printing with tree parts

Leaf coloring

Tree slice painting

Counting and Trees

We learned about how to tell the age of trees by counting the rings inside a trunk!

Then we counted how many trees we have in the big yard, sand yard, and by magic tree! 5 + 5 + 3 = 13

Geometric Snowflakes

These snowflakes provide a great hands-on way to work with fractions and geometry! First we take a coffee filter and fold it in half, then in quarters, and then in eighths. We cut out various shapes (using sharp scissors helps this process) and help younger children with the cutting as needed. Finally we paint our snowflakes with watercolor. Unfold to see the final product!

Outside Fun!

Elaborate fairy houses are still a big interest here at ACG!

Mindful Macarons

Explore the tastes, textures, colors, scents, and sounds during the cooking process of these yummy macarons!

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 1/2 TBS coconut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• 2 TBS coconut flour
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener
• 1/4 cup chocolate chunks (freshly hammered!)

Instructions:

1. Mix together wet ingredients.
   
2. In a separate bowl mix together dry ingredients then add the dry to the wet while stirring.
   
3. Scoop spoonfuls onto parchment covered baking sheet.
   
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown.
5. Enjoy!

See you next time!