~Learning is Contagious~

I came across this quote and I wanted to share it because I have seen the truth of it so much recently through our Animal Unit. The children have truly been immersed and intrigued by their learning!! We've had visits from leaders in our Community sharing their knowledge of animals and their place in our world. Volunteers from the Spartanburg Humane Society came and allowed each child to be involved as they helped us become aware of homeless animals in our community and where we fit in to help them. Now we are persuading Dr. Patterson to get the entire school involved in our efforts to help the Spartanburg Humane Society. I would say our learning was cOnTaGiOuS!
Then, A Park Ranger from Cowpens National Battlefield came to share his knowledge of the history that the park holds and how animal habitats there are protected. We will have another member of our community come this week to share information on their efforts to help wildlife in our area and how we can come together to help share our world with wild animals.
We've become very knowledgeable of endangered animals close to home and far away and how environmental affects and humans play a big role in affecting the livelihood of animals and their homes. We're learning how to use our knowledge in order to inform others of small and large steps that can be taken to ensure these animals do not become extinct. The children have marveled at the knowledge that has been poured into them and their empathy for these creatures is astonishing to me! Just last week we had an "I Wonder" question on "Do Bats Need Maps?". This opened up so many doors for us as we explored bats, their habitats, how they are in danger, and unique characteristics that were very surprising to us! Who knew we could have a heart for these sPoOkY mammals?? Oh yes, our learning is cOnTaGiOuS!

From the BIGGEST animal... 

to the teeny tiniest...

We've come to learn their place in our world and what we can do to help our home and theirs!

I encourage you to enhance your child's learning at home through conversations, trips to the library, or helping them explore their own "I Wonder" questions on the internet. Learning is indeed very CONTAGIOUS! :):) I hope you "catch it" from your child!!

P.S.Be sure to check back later this week as our bloggers from the last 2 weeks let you take a sneak peek into specific learning adventures that we have been on!