Our FIRST EVER Snowy Owl Over Night Trip was an incredible success! With us, ten adventurous Forest and Nature School students paddled the windy Nottawasaga River, cooked their own meals, filtered their own water, started their own matchless-fire and slept in tents with their friends under the stars – some for the very first time. We were up close and personal with all sorts of neat nature experiences – from bugs to MASSIVE bald eagle nests, beaver lodges, baby swans, impromptu 6ft-fern-covered portages, and much, much more! We swam in the river, shared stories and made some incredible new memories and new friends, too. It was an absolute privilege to be a part of the team that helped make this experience unfold and to witness some of the learned FNS skills come to life too – what a great kick-off to the summer!
We’re so grateful to the families that supported and trusted in this new and unforgettable experience! Kudos to the students for pushing their comfort zones and workings so hard while on trip! We had an absolute blast!!
A big thanks to Jim, our faithful Forest School Friend and nature expert, and all the Free Spirit Team who made this possible!
A little reminder that that Registration for our 2019/2020 School Year is LIVE. You can register here or email us and we’ll be happy to connect with you!
We had a busy last couple weeks, but here’s a quick recap of all the fun!
Chickadees
These littler folks (Ages 4-5) have been up to a bunch of wild adventures over the past season. Don’t let their smaller size fool you, they hike forever and can be hard to keep with, even for the teachers! From mud kitchens, to epic forts in “the Fort” (our student-built sanctuary) to fairy hunts and bird watching, there’s no stop to all the fun. Of special note over the past couple weeks, the Chickadees tried out canoeing on the big pond! For some of them it was the first time ever and they rocked it. We caught frogs and turtles along the way, and had so much fun the first time, we did it all over again the following week! Our Friday group also had the chance to use the Imagination Station (loose parts) courtesy Healthy Kids Community Challenge – a bug thanks to them! And another special thanks to our Blue Heron (leader-in-training), Claire, who helped us out so much over the year!
Trading Blanket
Parents of older students have no doubt heard all about this year’s trading blanket! So many amazing and spectacular items were created and found for the end of the year’s tradition. We had spoons, bowls, baskets, skulls, fire kits, spears, sculptures, animal teeth, carver objects, bow and arrows, plants, lilac sugar, homemade creams, maple syrup, artwork and so much more. We were inspired by the creativity we saw, and our Thursday students even wrote a new song to commemorate the ceremony!
A moment to look back
As we wrapped up the year, we took some time to remember all the wonderful (and challenging!) things we did over the year. We did this by creating individual flags with pictures, words, timelines, maps and more on them. We shared our favourite memories and then used natural tie-dyes to make the flags even more colourful. In the end, they were hung on ropes in Mysterious Forest like prayer flags full of our group memories that will hang there and be weathered for long time to come.
Swimming!
It just wouldn’t be the week of Summer Solstice without our annual dip in the pond! Students braved the cool (and seaweedy!) waters to mark the occasion and had blast swimming, paddleboarding and jumping of the giant lily pad!
A moment of Gratitude
Finally, we just wanted to say a big old Thanks to you, our FNS community. We can’t do what we do without your support. Thanks for trusting us with your most valuable beings. We’ve seen a lot of growth over the past year – both in the students and ourselves too!
We are excited about the growth of our programming too. This year saw an expansion of programming, Snowy Owl Overnight trip, our new Meaford program, and much more! We look forward to new endeavours and adventures come the Fall (including our Wasaga Beach expansion at Blueberry Trails and our new Saplings program!)
We hope to see you over the Summer, but if not have a great one and spend as much time as you can outside, quieting your mind and listening for the birds.
Hey Folks! We’ve been busy playing outside. Here’s a recap of the last few weeks!
Paddling
We love exploring our extended backyard and our older students ventured off on a field trip to the Beaver River. We had some amazing weather systems – both warm and wet! – that challenged us along the way. We learned about water/river safety, paddling skills and most importantly had fun connecting with our classmates on the water. Our oldest students had the chance to do some kayaking as well!
Climbing
Speaking of our amazing “backyard”, we also headed out to Metcalfe Rock for our annual Rock Climbing trip with our older groups. Students pushed their limits and reached for the skies as they ascended this ancient rock!
Birds
Bygone days continues to be alive with Birds and we’ve been treated to watching many different species of birds build their nests, defend their territories and raise little babies. As we tune in more to Bird Language, our world is opening up!
Homemade Glue
It’s easier (and stickier) than you think! Some folks had the opportunity to make homemade pine pitch glue (pine resin, beeswax and ground up coals) over the fire. We used it to make some pretty rad arrows and spears!
“Spirit Bear” (aka Bear Bear, AKA Cuddles)
We’ve got a new addition to our crew that you may have heard of. Earlier this Spring we were given a special Bear to take on our journeys and to catch and listen to all our stories. This was passed on by a friend (thanks Lori!) after she received it from a Cree Elder for work she has done with Indigenous youth. Spirit Bear has had a huge impact for some of our students and has paddled the Beaver River, climbed at Metcalfe and followed us just about everywhere. Our students have even outfitted him in complete rain suits on the wetter days!
Reptiles, Amphibians and More!
There’s maybe nothing in the world that gets the kids more excited than heading out net in hand to capture some critters. We’ve seen it all this year, from damselfly nymphs and water scorpions, to frogs, toads and turtles. We’ve even observed/caught a few new-to-us species on our property – spring peepers, gray tree frogs and snapping turtles!
Wild Edibles
As the Spring rolls on, we encounter more and more delicious wonders of the Forest. Stay tuned parents – we’ve got a workshop coming up for you that will help you chow down alongside your nature kids!
And of course, there’s so much more, but too much to sum up in a simple little blog.
She’s back! Our mama robin that is! We were so happy to notice her this morning and couldn’t help but check on her nest… three more bright blue eggs to hatch in the coming weeks! We love gaining her trust and sitting close to observe her care for her eggs. It’s an awesome way to quiet our minds and connect to the birds. We tend to notice them more throughout the day after we make this small connection.
Some especially fun things that we appreciated this week were holding baby chicks (!!), playing on new tree swings, climbing trees in the forest (and enjoying the fresh tree canopy to protect us from the rainfall), and perhaps the tastiest of all… baking over the fire! Students loved dicing potatoes, chopping leeks, measuring oil and best of all… cooking it over a fire they made! They loved being involved in the prep work and I think that helps make it taste even better too!
I’m sure they’ll love to share this special dish with you too!
It’s been another awesome few weeks at our Meaford Forest School! We’ve been enjoying our time exploring in our forest – plenty of imaginative and recapulative play. Students always enjoy taking on the roles of various hunter and gathers, climbing trees, hiding in our shelters, and moving around like all sorts of forest creatures! We have spent a lot of time in the woods lately; becoming stewards of the land and really taking time to slow down and just be in nature – no matter the weather! We have been really appreciative of the little robins tending to their babies! It’s really amazing to be nearby and watch the magic! We’ve built an instant connection to birds through this experience (and not just because we’re fascinated with worms)! It’s opened our eyes to all sorts of birds in our neighborhood – like the bright warblers dancing in the trees!
But that’s not all! Spring is such a great time to learn about ethically harvesting and gathering some delicious wild edibles! This week, we really enjoyed spreading our previously made wildcraft violet jelly with our fire-roasted bannock! It was an awesome way to cap off another special week together! And if I’m honest, a slightly bigger hit than the garlic mustard pesto we made the week prior!Thanks again for following along in our nature journey!
It’s been a little while since the last post and there’s plenty to reflect on! We have been having all sorts of fun spending our days outdoors.
To no surprise, students absolutely love mud! And with our mud kitchen in full effect, there’s no end to it! Whether we are stomping our boots, measuring globs, mixing and serving up various mud treats, or enjoying exfoliating hand spa treatments, the creativity is contagious! The basics for a mud kitchen: a few bowls, pots, spatulas, plenty of mud, but most importantly, some kids keen to get messy and dive in! There must be a correlation between the degree of fun someone has and the amount of laundry afterwards. Thanks families for understanding that play (especially muddy play!) is synonymous with learning and an integral part of our program! This hands-on experience teaches us so much!
We have made some pretty significant transformations in our forested space these past few weeks. There are plenty of new shelters (debris and lean-to) and special trees and sit spots that the students enjoy and tend to. We happily care for this new-to-us space and always try to leave it better than we’ve found it. That means treading lightly on the land, and picking up more than our share of rubbish.
One student reminded us a few weeks back that “the forest has the absolute best air ever. You can even feel it!” And last week we were able to taste it too! Students are learning about some wild edibles, including our current favourite trail snack…. Trout lilies! I wonder what magic we will discover this week?
With the heavy rain last week, our students are becoming seasoned forest school kiddos. Many of them declared rain days to be their favourite… mostly because there are so many more worms!
Many thanks to you for reading and believing in the importance of nature-connection for kids!
What do you do when your brother is moving and delivers you a trailer full of good, usable wood? Well, it turns out the answer is a lot! Students imaginations ran wild this week as we set them loose (so to speak – tool-use is an integral part at FNS, but we do have guidelines!) and their creations came to life. We had gardens built, benches, boats (both small and kid size), docks, tables and much more. Epic wooden forts were created; hammers, butter knives and figurines were carved; and even a bat box was built and hung up in Maple Forest.
As the days unfolded, our students shifted their focus to community building, and more specifically figuring out what could be built or created to better our time at Forest School. Some students remade our main fire pit to include cardinal directions (and a new fire pit in Mysterious Forest). Others uncovered the need of a new bridge in Maple Forest and were fast to work. One student even recognized the need to clean up our river after the big rains and all the trash that had been swept down it. There’s more stories along the same lines, but the point is that we are seeing one of our key “indicators of awareness” coming into play: service to the community. It’s one way our students show us they understand that they are an important part of a greater community, and they are wanting to support one another. It’s a great feeling on our end!
As usual, throw in our core routines to the mix, some play, some adventure, some mud, some rain, some sun, some hammock time, some ukulele and new songs, and a delicious Wild Violet Jelly (recipe to follow soon!) and call it a week well spent!
A big shout out to our PA Day program – we had a blast exploring and discovering with you!
Hey Folks!
We’ve been busy enjoying the warmer temperatures and exciting changes that Spring brings! Here’s a few of the highlights over the past weeks.
Carving
Tool-use is a big part of FNS, and with the warmer temps, we are seeing an increased interested in creating wood projects. We love the creativity and the projects we see developing around the campfire during down time. With only a couple months until our Spring Trading Blanket (see here for more info), students are getting busy preparing!
Larping
When our Wednesday students approached us about creating a LARP (Live Action Role Play) we wanted to be supportive and follow their passions – but admittedly we had to look it all up first! A quick google search later on and we were totally on board with them. Over the course of a couple weeks, students developed characters, a whole fantasy world, shelters and stores and mapped the entire area of Mysterious Forest (which became “Indigoweeodd”, a last remaining settlement in a post-apocalyptic world). They developed complex social orders, a monetary system known as wood chips and a whackload of rules and guidelines around play, battle, trading and magic. And while I can’t do it justice in a blog, it was an epic day of uncovering treasure, friendship (and treason!) and solving the clues. And to our pleasant surprise, it ended in a peace treaty signed by all! No doubt if your child was part of this, you’ve heard the stories and know by their excitement just how awesome this day was and why it will go down in Forest School History for us.
BirdinG
Some of our students are taking advantage of the return of the birds and really getting to understand and know them. They are successfully identifying most common species,as well as other not as common ones. As we tap into the bird language, we are learning a lot about what is going on all around all day and gaining a deeper connection with the land.
Geocacheing
Easter hunt… FNS style. We learned how to use a GPS to uncover a treat (Marshmallows) to cook over the fire!
Sowing Seeds
We are getting our gardens ready, making planters and planting seeds!
Wild Edibles
Perhaps one of our favourite times of year is when we start seeing old friends popping up. Our leek colonies are out in full force as we focused this week on sustainable harvesting. Trout lilies make a delicious treat along our hikes and we’ve even sampled some wild carrots (Queen Anne’s Lace)! It’s a tasty time of year.
Catchable Critters
We’ve seen a significant jump in the amount of reptile and amphibian friends over the past little while. So much so that we rarely venture without a net in hand. As the student are getting up close and personal with these folks, they are making respectful and lasting connections with them and uncovering first hand new ideas – including that turtles aren’t as slow and they are made out to be!
April Showers
We’ve had a lot of rain this past while are a so thankful for it! We try and shift perspectives of rainy days and “bad days” at FNS in a effort to minimize the idea that happiness, exploration and fun are contingent on the sun. Some of our favourite days so far have left us soaked! The plants and animals are loving the water and it gives us new, more adventurous routes along our hikes. Levels are up all over the place, with the river higher than we’ve ever seen and some sit spots being totally washed out. We love that with repetitive exposure to the same spots, students get the chance to observe and notice these changes on a weekly basis.
Music
Most groups have gravitated toward really musical days! We’ve got our established weekly songs, and are writing many more together with the classes. Students are even writing and playing their very own using a ukulele!
And there is so much more that I just can’t sum up here! Have a great weekend.
This week our students got really excited about creating communities in different areas of our forests to stake a claim and create a personal village for each group. After a quick recap and learning about three basic survival shelters (Lean-to, Teepee and Debris), we chose a place on the map and headed out to let our creations come to life. The groups worked well together creating forts, stores, trading posts, hospitals and much more. The shelters became more than just for survival – they were well landscaped with walls, gardens and benches. We left the forest every day excited to return and add more to these ongoing projects.
The stories that came to life with the shelter building was paramount, if not more so than the construction! One group even created an entire fantasy world after coming up with the idea of LARPing (Live action role play). Governing rules have been established, challenges created and backstories established for all characters. Stay tuned next week for all the details – we love rolling with child passions as it always leads to incredible adventure and learning.
Aside from all that, we were treated with the return of the Trumpeter Swans this week. After connecting with the Trumpeter Swan Society, we know that one of our swans is the offspring of Swan 100 – the first of its kind born in the wild in Ontario in 100 years. A big thanks to the students who carefully took the time and had the patience to find out their tracking numbers!
In other news, we’ve also shut down our Maple Syrup production as we were overwhelmed with how much sap we collected this year! We’ve moved on to tapping a small amount of Birch trees (which are at least 80:1 in ratio). The students from Tuesday have also found another way to harvest it – snip a little branch and attached a plastic bottle. So far, it’s working really well!
One of our favourite things about the Spring is all the bird action that happens around us. We’ve been really focused on this lately as we try to tap into these messengers of the forest. The abundance of song and chatter has helped our students practice “sneaking” through the woods by minimizing their disturbance while growing their awareness. It’s been great jumping into to animals forms and channeling the energy of some of our forest friends (foxes, lynxes, etc) to really take our time while moving and quieting ourselves.
As we dive into bird languages, we’ve become more focused. Our sensory awareness has increased and we often have moments of total awe as we live fully in the present, quietly connecting with nature. We teach our kids about it, but find it’s so much more rewarding to learn this through observation, games, connection, field guides and simply slowing down.
This week was extra fun! Some groups had the chance to show their dramatic side creating skits for our Crow Theatre based in bird language – with some hilarious results! Others took the time to journal about bird encounters, creating elaborate stories of what birds are actually up to as they personify them at close range. Others jumped into the role of Mama bird feeding and protecting their young to uncover puzzles – or some sort of combo of all these things.
We also have a weekly bird challenge, too, that some folks are eagerly up to trying! This had led to an accumulating long list of identified birds and made us happy birders. Combine all this with the usual core stuff, some awesome storytelling, bow drills, sun/magnifying glass art, new songs and explorations and call it time well spent in nature!
Ah, birds. We love them. They teach us so much – most importantly just to listen and be still.
