Rainforest Day: A Kindergarten Adventure

Peck’s youngest students invited special guests from home to spend the afternoon with them on a day that is always highly anticipated in our kindergarten classes.

On May 17, the big room and both playgrounds were magically transformed into rainforest habitats by our imaginative kindergarten teachers. As students spent the two months leading up to Rainforest Day studying plants and animals that are native to these environments, our youngest students got the chance to experience what a day in the rainforest might actually be like!

Kindergartens squealed with excitement (and disgust!) as they were able to interact with all kinds of scaly and slimy creatures during an animal showcase presented by Snakes-N-Scales, a New Jersey-based educational entertainment group that rescues turtles, snakes, and even bearded dragons.

Students then made their way outside to the playground, where Peck’s very own Chef Joe Mirra served dragon fruit and pink pineapples–tasty exotic fruits that naturally grow in the rainforest! Not only did students learn how delicious these fruits taste, but also how important their role is in the ecosystem, as the tops of the wondrous plants provide shelter to frog eggs.

“Rainforest day in the K is a unique opportunity to bring the rainforest experience into the classroom! Although we cannot travel to the rainforest together on a field trip, this is the next best thing. We are engaging their senses and hopefully igniting their interests in becoming rainforest supporters and advocates,” says Kindergarten Teacher Maribel Mohr.

“Experiencing the various tastes of the fruits and seeing the animals supports their learning,” says Kindergarten Teacher Kristin Young. “Nothing compares to the experience of feeling the tough shell of a giant tortoise, seeing the blue tongue of the skink, or feeling the smooth and slick scales of the snake. Facts about camouflage and defensive traits are demonstrated with this live show.”

Finally, our little explorers with clipboards in hand, special guests by their side, and bellies full with Chef Mirra’s tasty treats, were ready to embark on a rainforest-themed scavenger hunt on the big playground. As students were on the lookout for rainforest animals that were previously planted by kindergarten teachers, they were able to cross their findings off their checklists as they identified rainforest creatures with the people they love most!