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.
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.
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.
As Spring arrives, we are reminded why this is one of our favourite seasons – well, we love them all really, but especially the longer days, warmer temperatures, and return of life. The birds are singing all around us, the plants are blooming again, animals we haven’t seen in awhile are making appearances – and deliciousness is running through our trees.
Over the past couple weeks, our groups have been busy at our Sugar Shack and eagerly working hard (of course with lots of play and exploration in between). With the Maple sap flowing like mad, our students have had the chance to tap the trees, harvest the sap, boil it down and reap the sweet rewards of homemade maple syrup. Perhaps they’ve shared some with you?
There’s no better reaction than the awe and sheer astonishment of a student who has freshly drilled a hole only to have sap come pouring out… and then the frantic placement of a spile to capture the drips in a bucket, or better yet directly on the tongue. Even more, students learned about ratios, measurements, maintaining fires, chopping wood (older kids!), sustainable harvesting and pure pleasure of producing something through hard work. It’s no wonder they were eager to check “their” trees the minute they returned!
Of course, the melt brings along many other wonders, too. Birds defending their territories and searching for mates. The hidden skulls, fur, feathers and treasures – the remnants of a hard winter. We watched our shortcut across the pond slowly melt away as we created new paths. And most of all, it brings a (not-entirely!) quiet time to reflect.
We’ve had a great kickoff to the session and want to welcome all our new students!
We had a great wrap-up to our Winter session this week, with pretty much blue bird skies all week long! As we explored and played, we reminisced about the past couple months and shared our favourite memories – turns out we did quite a bit over the winter session! Here are some highlights from our week:
We celebrated Mardi Gras this week on Tuesday with some pancakes over the fire, complete with Maple Syrup made on-site from last year (and are eagerly anticipating working the sugar shack when we return!).
A huge pile of snow also became the backdrop of a newly invented game – Arctic Fox. Think “camouflage” and “red light/green light” with a massive, sneaky twist.
We also put up our trail cam this week in hopes of capturing some of the wildlife we are always tracking along our adventures. Stay tuned for pictures of that!
The trading blanket was a huge success and we are looking forward to doing it again at the end of the Spring Semester. What’s a trading blanket? Read more here.
We made wonderful and unbelievable stories with our new set of story rocks!
Our Chickadees also got an answer in the mailbox from the fairies, along with a potion to help them see all the magic in the Forest – and it worked!
Along with fires (some started with magnifying glasses!), play, exploration, tracking and lots of birds coming out, we had a fun week and great send off for our Winter Warriors. Enjoy the March Break and see you soon!
It’s a been awhile since we’ve been able to blog – the life of having an almost-one-year-old, and Kim returning back to teach at FNS – but we thought we’d get ya caught up on some of the exciting things we’ve been up to over the past few weeks. When the snow days finally let up (wacky weather this year!), we were able to go on a quite a few adventures!
Cross Country Skiing
Our older groups headed to Scenic Caves again this year for a day full of skiing and exploration. After a brief lesson – mainly how to get back up and slow down – we were off to the trails. Students challenged themselves and made it all the way to the lookout, while navigating big hills and sometimes high winds! We visited the bridge on one of the days, and it felt like we were almost blown off it was so windy!
Ice Fishing
Our ice is almost a foot thick at the moment, which not only gives us a quick shortcut to Maple Forest, but also allows us to test our fishing skills! We found the hot spots this year, with multiple groups bringing in big numbers. Our new Winter Record was broken twice this year – first at 6 fish, then smashed by a whopping 22 (or the same hungry fish? Who knows!).
Animal Tracking and Bird Languages
Winter is the ideal time for tracking critters big and small. We’ve learned a whole lot about the subnivean and how little creatures keep warm and active during the long cold days and nights. We’ve followed coyote tracks, only to realize it was a pack in single file that suddenly split in three directions. We’ve uncovered story after story of creatures playing in the forest. We got up close and personal (respectfully) with the remnants of a deer, and successfully identified a dead eastern screech owl. We learned all about peculiar habits of creatures in the Winter… and best of all, we’ve got a trail cam going up to see if we catch a glimpse of all the wonderful action going on! It will be especially neat to see these stories unfold and really gain an understanding of who we’re sharing the land with!
tinkering/BUILDING
Snow offers the wonderful opportunity to create and we’ve seen it all this winter. We’ve had quinzees come and go with this changing weather; huge walls and epic forts; GT only parking areas; and so much more. We’ve also had so many projects on the go – baskets, butter knives, spears, bowls, sling-shots and more. A lot of this is in anticipation of the trading blanket next (where we trade created items with one another – more info here).
Fire Building
Our students are capable fire builders and can all certainly light a match and sustain a fire. From our youngest to oldest, most have been able to start one using magnesium and steel as well! Recently we took it a step further: classic Flint and Steel. Students made sparks with steel wrap around knuckles or chisels and flint. They caught these sparks on charred cloth and created fire in “nests” by slowly (and patiently) working at it. It was amazing to watch – and so far we’ve three successful students with one accomplishing it in under 4 mins!
Music
It’s always been a part of our program, but this Winter we took the steps to make it an active role. We’ve got guitars, ukuleles and more music making devices around and have seen some awesome bands form over time. From making up our songs, to borrowing those of others as part of routines, it’s become an integral part of what we do – but more in this in a future blog, likely titled “Chicka-DJ” as our kids came up with.
And then there is so much more – the everyday fun, learning, and exploration that is Forest School. Winter is one of our favourite seasons! Thanks for joining along in our wonderful Winter fun and reading our blog too!
***This is a past post from 2019, our programs are still currently suspended!***
Hey Folks!
Well Winter certainly made its presence felt this week and our students embraced it full on! Along with regular core routines and our wandering adventures, we had a special week where some students went skating on the pond, some built zip lines and others set up feeders to help us get even more intimate with the wildlife.
This week we also introduced a new concept and idea to our students we like to call the “trading blanket”. Over the course of the program, students will use their tinker time to create something they are willing trade to with another at the end of the Winter session. This can be anything – well anything, that is, within a few parameters.
Items must:
Be handmade/found in Nature
Be made of mostly natural materials
Cost nothing to make; except for effort!
Be done (almost) entirely at FNS (unless they are really keen and want to work at home)
This could be something carved or whittled (spoon, chopsticks, butter knives, bowls, animals), clay creatures or cups, woven baskets, paintings, dream catchers, poetry, fire kits, pressed flowers… the list goes on. We are excited to see the what our students (and teachers!) come up with.
When the day comes to trade, students will place their item(s) on the blanket, give us their best sales pitch or creation story, and then bargain with other students/teachers to create an exchange. If by chance the item they bring now means too much them to give away, or there’s nothing they want to trade for, it can always be removed from the blanket. And of course – this is all optional right from the beginning – though we are encouraging everyone to try!
So why do this?
There are a number of reasons with our main focus being connection with self, others, and the natural world. This type of activity develops relationship, gives value to time and effort, mastery of skills, fosters creativity and planning and so much more. We’ll keep you posted on how it goes!
