Free Spirit Forest and Nature School

Nurturing Connection with Self, Others and Nature

You Rock!

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Hey Friends,

Forest School is all about self-discovery, jumping out of our comfort zones and challenge by choice. Today we brought all these elements together and discovered our personal strengths.

We joined our Collingwood Forest School and explored the beautiful area of Metcalfe Rock located in the Kolapore Uplands. This is an area that is tucked away along the Niagara Escarpment. Caving was our activity of the day and our students did not waste anytime. They jumped right into their harnesses and helmets and strapped on their headlamps. After our safety talk we were ready to go!

Check out our photos below!

It was an exciting time when we found a spine of an animal tucked away in some brush. We believe it was a small coyote or maybe a wolf…this debate is still on going.

We started the day off by creating our own hiking trail on our Heathcote property. We love to hike and this time we didn’t run into any burr bushes! Phew..

After we met up with the Collingwood Forest School we hiked further up the Niagara Escarpment and made it to our camp site. There we took a well deserved snack time.

Last week we learned all about fire and today we put it to the test. While some kids collected tinder and sticks, others focused on starting a fire to keep us warm. The teamwork was amazing…. great job guys!

Communication and spotting our buddies help keep us safe in unknown surroundings.

We took some time to talk about this Ancient Eastern White Cedar which is an amazing tree estimated to be 1000 years old! Lots of fun discussion was had on why the roots were braided. When was the last time you hugged something that old?

Our Izzy being brave and climbing out of the Ice Cave.

Before we were done with our day the kids worked together and created a 5 foot leaf pile! Everyone worked so hard on this and it ended with a well deserved….. you got it LEAF FIGHT!

Today we saw old friends, made new ones and created lasting memories. Thank you for all who came out and made it an amazing caving day!

We are so proud of all our students on their teamwork and respect for one another. They all received bravery, peer support and leadership stickers.

Next week – We will be working on our inner Van Gogh with the natural elements. Art Attack Week!

Thanks for stopping by,

Krista

In case of Fire…

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Hey Folks!

What an interesting and incredible sight to arrive to on Tuesday at Forest School. Seems the storm left a bit of damage on our area with willows, aspens and more knocked over across the property. Luckily, they fell in good places and no one was hurt, or major damage done.

The students had a blast with the debris though! We jumped in to help clean up the mess and made a massive pile of downed branches and leaves, which later turn into a fort, and then, later still, turned into a full on shelter–make the best of a bad situation! (A really good moment for us as teachers was when the students were handing us branches and telling us the type of tree it was without any prompting–some things did stick from our tree lesson last week!)

We eventually began our day as planned with fire! Our first task was a lesson on the needs of fire (oxygen, heat and fuel) and different kinds of fuel (tinder, kindling and bigger wood). After learning the basics it was time to put it into practice at our fire pit. Of course when we arrived, a tree had fallen over it!

After the clean-up, we talked about different styles of fires, fire safety and LNT principles. We then went over the steps to build a tee-pee fire. With the help of everyone we got it going fairly quickly and had some storytellers tell some stories to earn their beads. This culminated in a “test” at the end of the day where Snowy Owls were paired up with Painted Turtles and given the task to prepare and create a fire. Students could also visit the “store” and if they answered a fire related question, were given special materials such as birch bark, wood shavings and more. Everyone was able to do it (even with some hard winds on Tuesday!) and earned their Fire Beads. Congrats! They did so well in fact we had time leftover for a huge game of Capture the “Fire” (Flag).

We also found time this week to head out to Curries Farm Market and pick out a pumpkin for each group. We carved out the pumpkins together and saved some seeds to fry up and put in our seed library for the spring.

Congrats to all our bead earners (22 Fire Beads, 4 Storytelling), and a very special congrats to our first Leadership Bead earned!

Next Week:
FIELD TRIP! Dress warm and in layers because we are going into the caves and learning all about Natural Landscapes at Metclafe Rock. Gloves would be a good idea, too!

We are also planning to have a bit of a Halloween Day the week of Halloween (Nov 1 and 2). We invite the students to don their costumes one more time if they’d like!

Cheers,

Matt and Kim

From little seeds grow mighty trees

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Hello again!

This week our focus was on trees. Some of the different types that we discovered were Red Oak, Paper Birch, Sugar Maple and White Ash. This naturally led to a discussion as to what trees offer us and to our environment. The kids discovered that providing oxygen, syrup, paper, firewood and helping wildlife were just some of the amazing things they do.

We then used the buddy system and took turns blindfolding each other while leading one another to a special tree. The blindfolded kids had to learn all they could about the tree by hugging, smelling, and feeling it. After the investigation they were led back to the starting point and given the chance to hunt down that tree! All of our trees were found with a little help from the “Hot and Cold” game.

Then, with the help of our tree ID books the kids worked towards their teaching beads. Lots of fun facts were learned and everyone got to share information about their favorite trees. They even attempted to say the tree names in Latin.

The kids spent the afternoon creating their own personal totem poles. The meaning behind the Totem Pole varies but can be anything from celebrating cultural beliefs, or well-known legends and even artistic designs and notable events. Totems can include plants, animals, humans and even supernatural beings. We chose animals that represent our core values and put some paintings together to create our own story to share. Make sure you ask what animal your child picked!

We also gave out some important stickers today such as Love, Honesty, Humility and Bravery.

Did we mention we had time to make homemade applesauce? Well, we did! Students showed leadership and peer support throughout the process while reaping the tasty rewards after their hard work.

If you would like to make your own applesauce all you need is:

1 cup of water
4-8 apples (we used Macintosh)
¼ cup of Sugar
1 tsp of lemon juice
½ tsp of cinnamon

NEXT WEEK: We are going to work towards our Fire bead!

Thanks for stopping by; we will see you next week.

Krista

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot…

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“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot…

…nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

Some wise words from Dr. Seuss which led to a lengthy discussion this week, after a reading and a dramatic interpretation of “The Lorax”. It was the perfect story to build our day around: Trees, trees and more trees. And what better way to start than a look how trees work, followed by our favourite game: Sappy, Sappy?

After our smudge and morning circle, each student adopted a tree in their sit spots by identifying it using a field guide, drawing and naming it, getting to know its leaves and bark and finding out an interesting fact about it. Did you know that Willows originated in China? That Ash is a preferred wood for bats and hockey sticks? That Sumac can be used to make a drink similar to lemonade? Neither did all of us! Afterwards, as a group we identified (and gave medallions to) a whole bunch of different tree species just outside our schoolhouse doors – Pines, Ashes, Aspens, Beeches, Cherries and much more.

The afternoon had us go on an epic exploratory hike to a new section of forest. The students were able to put their knowledge to the test and identify many species along the way (“Looks like elephant legs, that’s a beech!”; “Round needles and looks like a Christmas tree – white spruce!”). We ended near our sugar shack where we took a few minutes to do some yoga (Tues.), be tree “huggers” (blindfolded and using other senses to identify a tree) and create “murder mysteries” by uncovering (and imagining) what happened to some felled trees and how old they were at the time (Tues.).

At the end of the day, we had a fire and boiled some Cedar Tea (packed full of vitamin C – click here for recipe) with a little maple syrup from last year’s harvest of our Maple stand. The students enjoyed this simple treat while students told stories to earn their storytelling bead (3 in total!).

We also gave out 4 Nature Lover beads over the two days! Congrats!

Next Week:
The eagerly anticipated FIRE week!

Did you know that 3 beads can be prepared at home?

Storytelling – students prepare a legend/story/poem to be read at a fire
Teaching – your child will teach the other students something they are passionate about – for example we’ve had students teach about origami, composting, and birds – this can be something simple and anything at all!
Craft – anything creative and homemade that uses natural/recycled materials. Just have your child bring it in and present it to us!

As the days are getting colder please remember to layer up!
Cheers,

Matt and Kim

Getting dirty with bugs!

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Hello Folks!

Today we welcomed a new student named Izzy to our Forest School by introducing the smudging ceremony experience with her while explaining the meaning of it.

A Creepy Crawly bug day was the name of the game this week! Throughout the day the kids observed and held: spiders, centipedes, worms, banana slugs, frogs, fish, hornets, pink mushrooms, and much more!

Our students were excited this morning and hiked to the back of our property to find the floor of our shelter was missing! WHAT? Yes our floor went missing! After searching the property and coming up with possible solutions we were unable to find our floor which was also a great thing because our kids had the opportunity to create a new structure. This one is stronger, accessible for all students and even has it’s own fireplace! We even tested out the new fire pit by roasting marshmallows in it. They sure were tasty and we only lost 3 to the fire.

Next on the agenda was to create a worm compost. Our students brought in newspaper, egg cartons, saw dust, and food scraps. Then we went on a worm hunt, which started out with a discussion as to where these worms like to hang out. That would be dark damp areas, loose dirt, compost bins, and near to the surface!

Tip: If your soil is dry grab a hose and run some water over the ground, wait about a half hour, and the worms should rise up.

Our goal with our worm compost is to check in each week and see how they are doing. Are they mixing up the layers or compost and newspapers? Have they eaten anything? Do they need more compost? Is the soil wet or dry? After we are done with our findings we plan on putting these hard workers back into the ground by adding them into our existing compost.

We discussed our favorite bugs today and because our school is home to hundreds of bugs, we thought it would be awesome to create a bug hotel! The students collected: pinecones, dry grass, deadwood, fallen tree bark, empty tissue paper rolls, dirt, and newspaper to build the hotel. There was thought and discussion that went into the planning of which insects would like certain habitats. The kids will visit this area on a weekly basis and conduct their observations within their journals.

All of our kids worked really hard this week on their Respect, Bravery, and Honesty stickers. Next week we look forward to giving away a couple more beads!

Next Week: Is all about Tree Identification and First Nation totem pole exploration!

Thank-you for stopping by, we will se you next week!

Krista

Insect puns bug me.

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Hey Folks,

We started off our day today with a group game called Kubb (pronounced: Coob). Essentially it’s viking chess – a great target game. Unfortunately it’s way to complicated to explain the rules – so here’s a link to what it is. After our intense game, we did our smudge, morning circle and sit spots. Then it was time to enter the wonderful world of bugs!

After learning about where bugs live (underground, on the ground and in the sky), we explored our site with magnifying glasses and guidebooks in hand, and in a very short while were able to identify over 30 different species of bugs. Everywhere we looked there was a mini-world of insects unfolding right in front of us. (The Wednesday group varied slightly in that they also had a chance to do a pond study as they didn’t get to it last week.)

We also learned about soil today and have started a project using worms, compost and the different layers. You may have noticed your child come home with a yummy Soil Sundae? Or maybe it didn’t make it all the way there.

Speaking of making things, we wanted to spend some time exploring what insects can do for us. And what better insect to use than a honey bee? It was amazing to see the knowledge the students already had and were able to share about bees. Did you know there are over 20,000 different kinds of bee species in the world? After role playing the life of a bee, we made chap stick and hand balm from locally sourced beeswax, organic coconut oil, shea butter, and a little peppermint to give it a scent. Pretty simple! We did this over a camp stove, but you can do it at home too! For a complete recipe, please click here.

Thanks to Healthy Kids Challenge Collingwood, the students also had a chance to create GIANT bugs, bug hotels, bug amusement parks and bug castles with the imagination playground. Check out the masterpieces in the pictures below!

A big congratulations to our bead recipients this week. 2 Teaching Beads: one to a student who brought in their birding field guide taught us how to use a guide and showed us all the birds she had seen in her own backyard; and one for a lesson on composting. 2 Craft beads were also given out for an interesting project on compost in a jar.

Next Week:
We’re going to have some fun with trees!! Please remember to dress warm and have some extra layers – we’ve had some unusually awesome weather this fall, but who knows how long it’ll last.

Cheers,

Matt and Kim

I can’t think of any boat puns. Canoe?

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Hi Folks,

This week Kim and I were away for the Wednesday group as we were on paddling trips with our other school (hence why this post is late), so this post will focus on what happened on Tuesday. Luckily, our Wednesday group was paired up with our Thornbury School and a blog post about their day can be found here. A big thanks to Jen and Neal for stepping in in our place! They are phenomenal outdoor educators and I know Wednesday’s group really enjoyed their experience.

Our day started off as usual (a smudge and morning circle) and then we were of to our Heathcote location for a day on the Beaver river. When we got there, we were able to explore the awesome gardens and new outdoor classroom. The students spent a good chunk of time exploring and challenging themselves on the rope swing, climbing wall (which is actually a tree) and tasting some of the veggies in the garden.

After a few team challenges, it was time to hit the river. Some of the Snowy Owls challenged themselves by opting to kayak, while the others eagerly jumped into canoes. In total, we paddled 3.5 km of the winding Beaver River. We spotted all sorts of wild creatures along the way; lots of birds and small mammals… and even a painted turtle!

After our return and quick lunch, we jumped into our pond study. Students grabbed their nets and buckets and dove right in. They found the usual – crayfish and minnows – but were also able to catch and identify different species of bugs and snails.

The day was incredibly fun and chock-full of learning. A picture is worth a thousand words, so be sure to scroll down and see for yourself. A big thanks to Jacob, our awesome Free Spirit guide who paddled along with us, and all the other guys at Heathcote that lent a hand (Joel our boat master; and Bryan, who gave an impromptu lesson on gardening and free pick at his ground cherries.) Overall, a very successful first outing!

Next Week:
Time to uncover those creepy crawly bugs!

Matt and Kim

Our Fall Harvest!

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Hey Folks,

With the autumn looming this week we celebrated our “Fall Harvest” at Forest School. The whole day revolved around harvesting food, working as a community and sharing a meal together.

We searched the property and to our pleasant surprise were able to not only uncover a few awesome pear trees, but also some apple trees scattered throughout the forest. Preserving was the word of the day so we set to dehydrating the pears we picked from the tree to make ourselves some chewy fruit snacks. This was a big hit among students!

During an exploratory hike around the property, the Snowy Owls (with the help of some keen Painted Turtles), were able to fill a bag of apples – and discover sour wild grapes, red clover, Queen Anne’s Lace [wild carrot], and a patch of strawberries for the spring too! Even through hardship (a journey through the newly named “prickly” mountain – full of thistles!) we trekked on and were later rewarded with 100% pure, local apple sauce prepared with love over the fire. All the students were able to bring a jar home, so be sure to try it!

Our final project today was to create “Stone Soup” over the fire. We would like to send out a big thanks to all students who brought in some home grown (or neighbour/grandparent grown!) veggies. Our veggies included kale, cucumber, tomatoes (from our School Garden from last year!), garlic, potatoes, onions and much more. The soup was a HUGE success and one of the tastier ones we’ve ever had. All students had a hand in the prep work and the cooking and therefore all earned their Cooking Beads! Congratulations.

In addition to the food, our day focused on the 7 Grandfather Teachings. Using legends and discussions, students learned about Love, Truth, Honesty, Humility, Respect, Wisdom and Bravery. They made connections in their own lives and at Forest School (in fact our whole sticker system is based on these Teachings). Furthermore, students spent a good amount of time in their sit spots, balancing on our slackline, and working together to build a brand new fire pit area (as our old one was invaded by poison ivy)! We even had time to set up our own seed library for use next year. What a busy and productive day!

Congrats to our first ever “Teaching Bead” recipient for an awesome lesson in making origami. And a big welcome to our two new (but returning) students!

Next Week:

FIELD TRIP! We are going to be paddling next week and have a water focused theme. Please send along a bathing suit for your children so they can enjoy the water. Boats, paddles, and life jackets will be provided but if you have your own PFD feel free to bring it. Drop -off and pick-up will be as usual at Bygone Days!

Have a great week!

Kim and Matt

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