Desert life……

So we thought a desert was just a dry empty place. Looking a little closer, we have learned about the wonderful plants, animals and people who used to live there. We learned that many of the animals in the desert are nocturnal. During the day, we might not see them on our hikes because perhaps they are resting inside caves, burrows, underground tunnels, or possibly inside a cactus!

The animals have adapted to needing little water, mostly just getting it from the plants they eat and even then, they have to work hard to get it! The plants themselves are also fighting to stay alive. They too are creative and adaptive to the climate, covered with thorns and tough leathery leaves to fight the heat and animals that want to eat them. Lastly, we learned that we live in a rain shadow desert, surrounded by mountains stopping most or all rain clouds from getting to us. 

Favorite activities…

We brought in play dough for the children to shape into a cactus and we covered them with toothpicks. We also experimented with desert soil vs. regular dirt. A fun game was introduced where a child hides under a few Montessori mats while another child is a ‘fox’ trying to guess what friend ‘turtle’ is in its burrow. A favorite activity has been playing with sand and building a desert habitat for out artificial plants and desert animals.

Events…

Our kindergartners are taking a trip to Red Rock Canyon and hiking on the Lost Creek Children’s Discovery Loop Trail. This self-guided interpretive trail introduces children to the many different features of the Mojave Desert including pictographs, areas of desert life, and breathtaking views. This field trip is a special tradition for our kindergarten students. 

Last week we were a great audience for the Taiko drummers from Japan!

Reminder…no school from November 25th – 29th for Thanksgiving break.