Monsieur Van

- Teacher tweeting to connect our school community to nature based learning opportunities at Hilson Ave PS, and to collect new ideas to try with my students

[OCDSB Outdoor Centres @OCDSBoec]

Day#3 of Wildflower Week (Trilliums and daffodils) of Parent's Guide to #OutdoorLearning from @OCDSBoec #outdoored staff https://t.co/m7mGwpRypW via @YouTube @OCDSB #biodiversity #ottawa

[Monsieur Van @LearnbyNature]

Baltimore Orioles have arrived in our school neighbourhood! Usually found very high in tall trees. Listen for their sound and then look up. Visit our student-made website and click on this artwork made by one of our students to learn the sound they make. https://t.co/5R8TebqFjM

[Monsieur Van @LearnbyNature]

In unusual times, children can find comfort in seeing Mother Nature's Seasonal Events unfolding just like they did last year. Here is an Early Spring Checklist I made for neighborhood natural events to watch for in the coming weeks. @OCDSB @HilsonAvenuePS

[Monsieur Van @LearnbyNature]

Four display cases installed today in the #HilsonOutdoorClassroom to help students identify Birds, Butterflies, Insects & Native Plants that can found in our gardens. One case is for nature-based student-work. Display cases built by teachers & funded by Parent Council

[Monsieur Van @LearnbyNature]

Drama class this morning in the #HilsonOutdoorClassroom was preceded by a brief snowman building session. Welcome Winter! @OCDSB @HilsonAvenuePS

[Monsieur Van @LearnbyNature]

Another teacher & I teach French conversation in the mornings in the #HilsonOutdoorClassroom. This lesson was about how to say "my" in French. Students pulled masc. & fem. objects out of the bag and learned how to say, "This is my - - - ". Next is plural. @OCDSB @HilsonAvenuePS

[Monsieur Van @LearnbyNature]

I took the Gr 5's that I taught last year in Gr 4 out to the #HilsonOutdoorClassroom to harvest the veggies that we planted & tended together last school year. Students were very excited to see how the seeds we planted in the spring have turned into food! @OCDSB @HilsonAvenuePS

[Monsieur Van @LearnbyNature]

@mmeshawna Good stuff Shawna. Thanks for organizing this opportunity for our students!

[Monsieur Van @LearnbyNature]

Art class in the #HilsonOutdoorClassroom. Students chose three native plants to sketch. The activity also lays some groundwork for the Science unit of Habitats & Communities. @OCDSB @HilsonAvenuePS

[Monsieur Van @LearnbyNature]

@TheCareBears456 Way to go Broadview Care Bears! That is a great harvest of veggies and an amazing opportunity for student learning! Congratulations from your Westboro school neighbours at Hilson!

[Monsieur Van @LearnbyNature]

Setting up for Music Class in the #HilsonOutdoorClassroom. We are learning a French song about a bird who steals seeds from a farmer. Then we will fill up the school's bird feeders and learn the associated French vocabulary. Asters are blazing today! @HilsonAvenuePS @OCDSB

[Monsieur Van @LearnbyNature]

@NaturesYear Drew - I am teacher. Are Wooly Bear's at all toxic, rash provoking or otherwise a hazard in the classroom? A student gave me one today as a gift and I found conflicting info on line about their safety for touching. - PS I have your books and use them a lot in my Jun Nat Club.

[Monsieur Van @LearnbyNature]

@HilsonAvenuePS Jennifer, thank you for tweeting this out. I didn't even know that it had occurred so I really valued this tweet which is how I learned about it. So much great stuff going on at our school!

[HilsonAvenuePS @HilsonAvenuePS]

Hilson students from Grades 4 and 5 created an on-school Climate Strike to express their concerns about climate change.

[Monsieur Van @LearnbyNature]

The Parent-Child Gardening Club @HilsonAvenuePS transplanted Heart-Leaved Aster plants into the Native Plant Gardens in the #HilsonOutdoorClassroom this morning. A few hours later, I spotted this Monarch methodically visiting each of the flowers. That didn't take long! @OCDSB

[Monsieur Van @LearnbyNature]

The Parent-Child Gardening Club harvested some beans today from our Demonstration Vegetable Garden in the #HilsonOutdoorClassroom. Still more veggies in there to harvest... @OCDSB @HilsonAvenuePS

[Monsieur Van @LearnbyNature]

Today was the first day of the fall session of Parent-Child Gardening Club in the #HilsonOutdoorClassroom. Here's a pic of tasks that families chose from this morning. Lots of fun had and good work done. Looking forward to next week's club meeting/work bee @HilsonAvenueP @OCDSB

[Monsieur Van @LearnbyNature]

Used portable whiteboards today as teaching tools for a French conversation lesson in the #HilsonOutdoorClassroom. Today's lesson was past tense grammar (passé composé) within the context of a conversation starter of ''What did you do on the weekend?'' @HilsonAvenuePS @OCDSB

[Monsieur Van @LearnbyNature]

Parent-Child Gardening Club starts Wed Sept 18th. Same format as last year. Meet us at 7:15am in the #HilsonOutdoorClassroom. Parents stay with their children during all Club activities. Contact me at the school with any questions. New members warmly welcomed. @HilsonAvenuePS