One day while playing outside, the children stumbled upon a mound of dirt near the fence area. They wondered and discussed amongst each other where it came from, pointing at a hole right under the fence as their imaginations ran wild with ideas like “Big digger!” or “Bear hole!” But as they crouched down to touch the damp dirt, they noticed something small tunnel right beneath the fence.
Investigation and Problem Solving
Determined to find the creature, the children immediately launched a full investigation to get whatever made the tunnel and dirt mound to come out. Grabbing nearby bamboo sticks, they began digging away through the soft dirt. As they poked and scraped at the entrance, their chatter turned wild as they seriously talked about shrinking down or squeezing in to go inside the hole themselves.
The Animal Discovery
Over the following weeks, we read stories about different animals to see if the children would pinpoint what kind of animal might be digging underground. As we turned the pages together, they eagerly pointed out creatures with big digging paws and underground homes. Comparing the book pictures to their fence line mound, they decided it must be a mole living under there.
Creating Moles
The children did a hands-on craft where they made their own moles out of glue and paper and decorated with brown felts. Each child was given the body parts to glue down, but they were given total creative freedom to decide where each piece belonged based on how they personally envisioned the animal. This activity was great for their fine motor skills, but more importantly, placing the eyes, noses, and giant digging paws wherever they saw fit allowed them to express their own unique understanding of what a mole looks like.
The Mole’s House
Because it was hard to visualize what it could possibly look like underground, we decided to build what it may look like underground with tunnels and different areas out of cardboard. We followed photos from our books as a guide, and the children worked hard to paint the mole’s “house” with dark, earthy colors. Together, we taped tubes and boxes to put together winding tunnels, and we labeled all the different zones: a cozy spot to sleep, a kitchen to store its food, and deep passageways for digging.
Circle Time Fun
During circle time, we learned about what moles eat underground. We played interactive games where the children took turns matching photos of the mole’s favorite foods (like worms and grubs) to their printed words, boosting both their memory and early word recognition skills.
The Great Mole Hunt
When we went outside, we kept the learning going with a scavenger hunt to find “moles” and their “food” that we had printed, laminated, and hidden all around the playground. The children were thrilled to hunt through the yard, proudly gathering up each hidden card and racing to bring them back inside to stock the cardboard mole house we had built in our classroom.
Uncovering the Underground World
What began as a simple moment of curiosity by the park fence grew into an incredible, hands-on journey of discovery. Through outdoor exploration, creative builds, hands-on crafting, and interactive literacy games, the children transformed a pile of dirt into a complete learning experience. They didn’t just learn facts about moles, they practiced critical thinking, built fine motor and early reading skills, and brought their vivid imaginations to life. Above all, this adventure nurtured their natural wonder, proving that the greatest learning happens when we follow a child’s lead to explore the magic hidden right beneath our feet.
Love always,
our dear friends at PK ❤︎
Peachy Keen Early Learning 