Nature Notes from Common Ground
Week of June 1 - 5, 2020
Announcement!
Our campus remains closed to visitors for now. We will let you know when opportunities like Open Farm Day and Nature Playdates and Guided Hikes resume!
We hope you can enjoy nature and sunshine with your family, and that we can welcome you to Common Ground soon.
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Weekly Nature Note
What is happening in nature this week?
Barred owl chicks are hatching!
Barred Owl eggs (usually two or three) are often laid in a tree cavity, where the adult female incubates them for roughly a month. Fuzzy, white, downy chicks hatch and remain inside the tree for four or five weeks while being fed by both parents.
When the young owls are two or three weeks old, their white down is replaced with gray-tan secondary down, and they gain the strength to climb up the inside of the tree and peer out at the outside world. In and out they go, perching on the rim of the nest hole for half an hour or so as they await the arrival of their next meal, and then retreating back to the safety and warmth of their nest.
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Resources for educating yourself about inequity in access to nature and outdoor recreation
Black lives matter. We stand with all of those who are outraged by the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and all black and brown men and women who have a right to live full and safe lives, free from oppression and injustice.
We are also thinking about Christian Cooper and his experience in a NYC park as a black man and nature enthusiast. Nature is for all, but not all feel welcome or are safe in outdoor spaces. We invite you to read and learn about how race and racism intersect with the environmental movement, and consider how you can take action.
From Outrage to Justice, by Micheal Brune
Whiteness in the Outdoors: The outdoors are deeply divided by race and we must address it, a compilation by many authors.
A Small Needful Fact
Poem by Ross Gay, which references the 2014 death of Eric Garner
Is that Eric Garner worked
for some time for the Parks and Rec.
Horticultural Department, which means,
perhaps, that with his very large hands,
perhaps, in all likelihood,
he put gently into the earth
some plants which, most likely,
some of them, in all likelihood,
continue to grow, continue
to do what such plants do, like house
and feed small and necessary creatures,
like being pleasant to touch and smell,
like converting sunlight
into food, like making it easier
for us to breathe.
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Nature activity of the week
Activity 1: Color Match
Color Match
Grab the color wheel above or color your own and head outside, in your backyard, your neighborhood, or the woods! Spring and early summer plants are everywhere and there’s a whole rainbow of colors to find. See if you can find colors that match those on the color wheel. There may even be more colors in nature than what is just on the wheel! See how many you can find. Maybe you find some particularly beautiful leaves and flowers - check with a grown up to see if you can pick them. You’ll need them for the next activity!
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Activity 2: Hammered Flower and Leaf Prints
For this activity, you’ll need either watercolor paper or old white fabric, like a tshirt, pillowcase, or sheet and paper towels. You’ll also need a hammer, mallet, or just a rock!
First, gather some flowers and leaves! When you have them, lay out your fabric or watercolor paper on a surface that’s okay to hammer on. Lay your flowers and leaves out on the fabric. Cover them with 2 or 3 paper towels and get hammering! What fun prints can you make with the plants you picked?
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Hike of the Week
West Rock Summit in New Haven
Each week we will share a kid-friendly hike or other outdoor adventure.
Click HERE for a walk up to the summit of West Rock Park!
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Weekly Videos
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About this series
In this time of program closure and social distancing, we are seeking to support families and children in getting outside in safe and healthy ways. We hope this series provides content and activities to help your family engage in nature based learning in your own backyard.
This series is adapted from content created by the Common Ground NatureYear Teachers, who are sharing distance learning with their students this spring.
Published by
Email: rholcombe@commongroundct.org
Website: commongroundct.org
Location: 358 Springside Avenue, New Haven, CT, United States
Phone: 203-389-4333 1213
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CommonGroundConnecticut/
Twitter: @CommonGroundCt