Archery Archives - Free Spirit Forest and Nature SchoolFree Spirit Forest and Nature School

Hey Folks,

A crazy mix of weather this week to help us instill the importance of outdoor skills! Here’s the recap:

Tuesday

Our Tuesday group braved the weather and fully embraced their time playing, building and exploring. And though the constant chilly rain limited our mobility a bit, it didn’t dampen our spirits. We got covered in mud and set out to choose (or rediscover) our sit spots. As part of core routines students will spend time every week in their special places, becoming stewards of the land. We use this area for quiet time, reflection, play, creation and so much more.

And with all this cold rain what better conditions to practice (and fully appreciate!) the oh-so-important skill of Fire Building! After learning about the basic needs of a fire, students were put to the test and in small groups were each successful in creating and maintaining fires in some pretty unforgiving conditions. If you can light a fire it that, you can light a fire anywhere!

Wednesday

After our core routines (smudge, check-ins and sit spots) we took a deep dive into the world of shelters on Wednesday. We learned about the fundamentals of three important natural shelters: Lean-to’s, Debris Shelters and Teepees. After a quick break for archery along the way, students arrived in a new area we scouted the previous week in Maple Forest (now known as Grape Valley.) We had a camp out lunch with some interesting “kebobs” on the fire (ie: pretzels, grapes and more) and spent the day making the first steps toward our new little community. Numerous shelters were erected, a bridge to get us safely across the river, a fire pit and much more. We uncovered numerous homes for critters and with a sharp eye were able to find some aquatic bugs. And the most magical things of all? The 3 amazing grapevine swings (hence the new name!).

Thursday

We had a very similar day to the Wednesday group and after our lesson headed to the same area (Grape Valley), but had very different wet weather! The rain turned this area into a mess of mud (as parents’ cars probably know)… but mud is just so much fun! And the muddier we are is a key indicator of how much fun we had. Students built awesome shelters, upgraded the bridge and added a new one, and of course found the grapevine swing (calling themselves “graceful deer” flying through the forest). Awesome teamwork and cooperation unfolded and we are really proud of this group.

After lunch – some baked oranges and cucumbers over the fire (fyi oranges were rated good, cucumbers not so much) – and an epic mud battle, we headed out of Maple Forest, played some of our favourite games (person-hunt and camouflage) and called it a day!

Next Week:
We are getting crafty with some folks, and fire keeping with others!

Have a Happy Easter!

The Forest School Crew

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Hey Folks,

This week at Forest School we channeled our inner Katniss Everdeen and learned all about Archery. It was a huge hit with our students. It certainly left its mark on us. We definitely hit the target with this activity…. enough silly puns – it was a great day and we hope to do it again in the future!

After learning about the components of a bow and arrow, we made for fossil mountain where targets were all set up, including Bucky Jr – a deer which now has the fire range named after him on our school map. After figuring out our eye dominance, learning how to stand and to properly hold, load and fire the arrows, we took aim and let them fly! The learning curve was fast, and after a few arrows, students were able to hit the targets quite often!

During their unstructured time, some students were inspired to create their own bows and arrows – and crossbows, hammers, and pencil holders – in a week of afternoons leaning heavily on tool-use. We learned how to properly use drills, hammers, saws and whittling knives. We were even able to hit some targets with the arrows and bows we made! And by the end of the week, we also trying out sling shots and throwing knives (specifically made for throwing and are very safe).

Meanwhile, others chose to make dream catchers or read books or play games during their unstructured time. A particularly cool project unraveled on Thursday, where students opened up a “grocery store” of wild edibles, soup they made and even sage mouthwash they learned how to make from a wild edible and sustainability book! They sold these items via a barter system or for currency (shells). It’s amazing to watch these moments unfold – the cooperation, collaboration, learning and imagination is inspiring and contagious! We’ll write and reflect more on the power of this experience in our “Campfire Notes” section soon.

Finally, we’d like to send out a HUGE thanks to Mark, who not only lent us all the recurve bows, arrows and targets, but also volunteered his time and shared his expertise with us. Without you, our day would not have been so incredibly wonderful. Thank you so much!

Next Week: change in scheduling!
We will be doing Nature Photography and postponing Caving until the following week. If you have a digital camera that you feel comfortable letting your child use, please send it along with them.

Have a great weekend!

Matt and Kim

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Tuesday