Insects and Ice Augers (aka a crazy weather week!)

Hey Folks!

Winter is here and we are so excited.  A big welcome to our new students!

We saw a mix of weather which led to loads of different activities and explorations.  Some groups nestled closer to the tent on especially windy and cold days, while others were able to hike out a bit farther and uncover all the changes in our Forests over the past few weeks.  We hiked, played, scrambled, slid, jumped and sauntered our way along.  Some of the highlights include finding bugs out in January, tracking animals, carving, learning about ice, boat races, stories, fires, giant curling, sliding down Fossil Mountain and building forts.

Our focus this week in one way or another with most groups, became tool-use.  At FSFNS, students are provided the opportunity to engage with various tools throughout the day in an effort to master these skills.  After a comprehensive lesson where students feel confident managing tools safely, they are allowed to use some tools independently.  This week we had students carving and whittling, sawing wood for the fire and handling ice equipment (ice picks, ropes, augers).

With Winter here and  our big pond frozen, it was time to learn all about ice safety.  We went over safety expectations, learned about ice thickness, and what to do in an emergency.  We drilled holes, measured the ice and eventually started work on our ice rink.  And we are now also ready for ice fishing!

Enjoy the weekend!

The FNS team

More Pics: