A spring forest.

Spring is finally here to stay.

Let’s go for a virtual walk in a spring forest. Ms Birek will guide us on our quest.

Dear Students,

Let’s go for a virtual walk in a spring forest.

Take a look at the pictures that I have chosen for you. You can print them out or do the tasks on your computer. Each picture comes with a set of instructions that you should follow on our quest. You can colour the photos or paste something on them to make beautiful collages. You will find a lot of photos of your schoolmates on our website. Be creative!

We would love to display your work on the school website, of course.

Click here to view and download the photos.

Let’s begin!

Photo 01 – Design a Forest Friend who will join you on our walk. Complete his or her face and draw a hand that will point you into the right direction.

Photo 02 – Imagine that you have just got off the school bus and you’re walking into a forest. There are exactly 27 of you. What are you wearing? Some of you have backpacks and binoculars to watch the birds, others have notebooks and magnifying glasses. Someone has a compass and a map. Some students want to collect plants for their herbaria. Your Forest Friend has a wooden nesting box for every student.

Photo 03 – You must be hungry right now. Time for a snack. Sit down under a tree and take out your lunchbox.

Photo 04 – It’s time to learn something new. Do you remember our autumn visit here? We were examining the bark of some trees to learn to recognize them. Which tree has white bark?

Photo 05 – In spring forest groundcover glows green with sedges and the understory smells of bird cherry blossoms. This is where spring starts in a forest. Light penetrates into it because trees have hardly budded leaves yet. You can observe plants, young leaves and flowers. You can pick them up for your herbarium.

Photo 06 – Marsh-marigold, also known as kingcup, grows in wet places. There are also other interesting plants in wet areas of the forest, for example wild rosemary. In the past women used to collect it and sell it as clothes moth repellent. (Photo 07)

Photo 08 – Here, by the stream, it’s time for another challenge. Let’s build a water wheel. In the old days, wheels like that powered mills and in dry climates helped farmers water their fields. There is a hint in Photo 08A.

Photo 09 – A little obstacle on our way. To cross the stream, you have to go over it. Oh, no! Was that a splash? Who’s that in the water down there?

Photo 10 – It’s time to learn something more. As we walk deeper into the forest, let’s listen to the birds. In spring forest rangers put up nesting boxes on the trees. They haven’t been to this part of the forest yet. Let’s put up our nesting boxes on the trees!

Photo 11 –  Deer and wild boars live in the forest. If we stay quiet, we might be able to see them. Photo 12

Photo 13 – We’ll sit down in this clearing to have lunch. Boys, please sit under coniferous trees and girls under deciduous trees.

Photo 14 – Time for another walk. This time we’ll need a compass. It points North. If you don’t have a compass, look at the moss on the trees. It tends to grow on the north, darker side of the tree. Photo 15

Photo 16 – Fallen trees have an important part to play in a forest. We can loook for worms and insects in the rotting bark. You’d better us a magnifying glass. Who’s found the most? In autumn we saw plat litter on the forest floor. In spring, once the worms and insects have done their work, the forest will acquire a new layer of soil.

Photo 17 – We can’t make a bonfire because the forest is very dry and we aren’t allowed to light fire here. Instead, let’s make a raft and go to a treasure island on it. But who could you ask for wood? You should turn to the engineers who came here at night. Photo 18