Free Spirit Forest and Nature School

Nurturing Connection with Self, Others and Nature

“Sap”cicles and other sweet adventures

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Happy Spring Everyone, and welcome back (or for the first time!) to Forest and Nature School. We had a great week at Bygone Days exploring our property and reaping some of nature’s sweet benefits!

All week long our main focus was Maple Syrup leaving students with first-hand experience and a better understanding of the science behind this Canadian staple, the parts of the process and set-up and some students now even know how to identify Maple Trees that are good for tapping by their leaves (round edges). And while our goal was to explore the Sugar Shack area, emergent interests took us in all sorts of directions!

After initial free-play and our core routines (smudge and check-ins), groups headed out on their adventure to Maple Forest. All sort of routes were taken and sidetracks made and new things discovered. Throughout the week students discovered along the way the hollow sound of pebbles skipping on ice, 4 different sets of tracks within ten steps, fish from the pond, butterfly sanctuaries (milkweed), our nature playground and much more.

And as student-led learning often goes, we also saw:

Sagas unfold as students tried to tackle Fossil Mountain;
Pulley systems set up to bring up rocks;
Hotels open in the big forest trees;
Games of camouflage and “person”hunt;
Whole systems of trade and barter;
Epic Spring snow slides;
The rediscovery of our last remaining snow cave from the Winter Session;
Millions of years old fossils;

And so much more!

To top it all off, groups were treated to a Maple Syrup treat over the fire to end the day and compare the sweetness of the syrup to that of the sap. Some groups had pancakes, some “scramcakes” (scrambled pancakes) and others Maple Toffee on snow.

Next Week:
A reminder that there is NO SCHOOL ON FRIDAY, enjoy the Holiday!
For everyone else, we are diving into outdoor skills. For our full schedule, click here.

Thanks!

The Forest School Team

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Mud Meals and Outdoor Snacks

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Hey Folks!

We welcomed new and old friends back to Forest School this week to kick off our Spring Session. And our Chickadees dove right back in the fun and excitement with awe-inspiring imaginations.

After getting to know each other better and playing some games of “Monster” we headed out on our daily adventure with the crew, walkie-talkies in hand. With no set place to go and a plan to explore, students took the lead. They made their way across our balance beams and through the “Portal of Discovery” before settling at our Lakeside View campsite for some quality time and “mud” cooking. Ever tasted a mud banana cake? Or mud coffee? The creations were endless at the Mud Kitchen (complete with sink and oven!).

Students got really excited to break the thin layer of ice left on the lake (that we ice fished on not too long ago) with rocks and sticks. And while in the area, we just had to visit the “Amusement Park” with slides, tree climbing, bridges, swings and more! At this point and after all the adventure, it was time for a well earned lunch.

After lunch, we were treated to some stories, some unstructured play and building with some of our loose parts. Students got really creative and into what they were making so we decided hunker down and have a bonfire.

Another fun day exploring with the wee ones, and even a visit from Kim and the new really little wee one!

See you next week!

Matt and Sandi

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Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring (and Oh, hey Winter again)

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Hey Everyone,

We celebrated the end of our Winter session this week in many different ways! Most days it was more of a Spring Celebration – until Friday when Winter returned!

Tuesday

Chickadees dove into some imaginative play around the pond upon arrival. Finding huge ice crystals, gnomes homes and good ol’ rock throwing (nothing beats rock throwing!) was the name of the game. Like Charlie and Chocolate Factory, early in the morning one of our students also found the “Golden Ticket” for later in the day.

After some stories, we checked in on (and created new) sit spots by our big lake and took some quiet time time in the woods. Students got creative and made nature plates for the teachers to “eat”, with a balanced meal including potatoes (rocks), spaghetti (birch bark) and cranberries (snail shells)… yum yum!

Alas it was time to cash in the golden ticket. We hiked our way through the woods, past our campsite and along the lake, until we finally reached the “portal of discovery” to arrive at the Amusement Park! Our natural playground that the older students built last week. Our Chickadees swung, climbed, balanced, jumped and slid their way through the afternoon. Another fun day!

Wednesday

After an amazing Music/Dance/Singing full-on jam session around the fire with guitars, ukuleles, maracas and student handmade drums, our Wednesday group opted for big group games to round out our Winter Session. We played some of our classic favourites: Survival and Ultimate Capture the flag. We also set up the slack line to practice our balance and have battle royals, played with walkie talkies and tried out an old boomerang, that didn’t quite boomerang. We were even able to have a legitimate baseball game. These students know how to celebrate!

Thursday

Immediately our students were drawn to the slack line on Thursday. They navigated their way across and worked hard to be the last person standing. After snack we ventured on a camp out to Mysterious Forest. With backpacks in tow, students had the chance to explore this often overlooked area and create their own fun. With a fire roaring, we ate our lunches together and even grilled our sandwiches, pizzas and other delicious snacks. We ended our time out there by playing Fox vs Mice (a mix of freeze tag and capture the flag) which led to some epic action and teamwork. After roasting a marshmallow and debriefing our Winter Session by sharing our favourite memories, it was time to hike back – with a quick break in our sit spots along the way.

Friday

And all of sudden, Winter returned! And in the best way, with lots of snow and relatively warm temperatures. Students started the day off with a massive game of SPUD that took us almost all the way to snack. After snack, we tried a new game for our Friday group – Ultimate Capture the Flag. It’s a game of strategy, invasion, cooperation and teamwork. In the end, the last team standing fought hard but just couldn’t hold off the relentless attack.

After lunch we played on our all-time favourite structure – the tires. We then headed out to Mysterious Forest where some students practiced making fires with Flint and Steel, while others explored this little known area. After a few games of Fox vs Mice, it was time to check in on our sit spots and head home!

Just a reminder that we have no school next week.

Have a great March Break everyone and see you soon!

Cheers,

The Forest School Team

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Recycle, Reuse, Rethink (Reclaiming Wooden Pallets)

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Hey Folks! What a creative week of reclaiming and recycling wood with beautiful sunshine for the duration! Our objective this week was to work on projects – which encompasses a whole lot as you’ll see below. It’s our hope that our students become competent and comfortable using drills, saws, hammers and various other tools! Let’s break it down by day.