Learning Thru Nature

10/08/2026

Yesterday we had our first Tide Pool Explorers class. We identified hermit crabs, turban snails, anemones, and even observed a sea hare grazing! Such a great afternoon. Students used guide books to help with identifying a resting cormorant and the California Sea Hare. We read a book called "The Tide Pools" for beginning readers and created tide pool explorer crowns! We are all excited to visit this site again next week to see what changes we can see.

10/07/2026

TODAY I checked on the tide pool site preparing for TOMORROW our FIRST DAY of the TIDE POOL EXPLORER series. I'm excited to see how our observations and relationship with this space shift over the next 4 weeks.

09/17/2026

Creekside journaling is the best!

09/14/2026

Our "Life Between The Tides" unit begins October 7th.

Week two, students will explore this Driving Question: How do tide pool animals' and kelp's body parts help them survive waves, drying out, heat, and predators?

We have limited space in our Wednesday program for TK to 2nd grade. Our Thursday program, for 3rd to 5th grade students, has room for 4 more learners.

09/08/2026

Sneak Peak into our Tidepool Curriculum!

Week 1 "A Neighborhood Divided by Tides": Intertidal Zonation & Habitat Diversity

Driving question: Why do different plants and animals live in different bands of the shoreline?

Heartland Families: Signup on Procurify for this 4 week unit. Guided by a credentialed teacher/naturalist.

09/07/2026

Excited to explore tide pools in October as part of our coastal unit! We will also see what magic we can find along the wrack line. Over the weekend, with all the big south swells, I found some iridescent foam collected on eel grass at Jalama Beach.

We have space in our science class THIS WEDNESDAY at Strother Park. Our littles(TK to 2nd grade) will hunt for insects and learn about the parts of an insect through a story, a craft, and a song! Reach out if you are interested in a free trial.

09/03/2026

California King Snake, Lampropeltis californiae, are one of my favorite native snakes! This small snake, about 18 inches long, came to visit our yard last week.
They are great snakes for many reasons but here are my top three:
1. Nonvenomous and generally docile towards humans. So safe for the family to learn from.
2. They can eat rattle snakes and have a high tolerance to their venom, so they are nature's way to keep rattlesnake numbers in check.
3. Beautiful patterning! They are easy to spot and identify.

08/26/2026

Excitement is building for our 4-week tide pool units starting October 7th!
Students will work in small groups to answer two primary questions:
1. How do living things survive where the ocean meets the
land?
2. How can we help protect them?

Each session will follow a similar flow, emphasizing student safety and resource protection.

Here's the flow of our 3 hour sessions:
orient → observe → investigate → model/play → document → reflect.

As a credentialed teacher and lifelong resident here, I bring a unique skill set to each and every time we connect learning thru nature.

08/25/2026

08/09/2026

Heartland families, I am excited to see you the Vendor Fair Tuesday 8/11 from 11AM to 1PM at Heritage Square Park. We will be exploring the world of stream insects and their role as indicator species for freshwater stream health. Come see how we connect students to their home ecosystems through scientific observation.