Thank you for coming to visit us at Forest School. With your arrival there are some exciting changes to Bygone Days! The tent is a new addition and a warm, fun place to enjoy our snacks and lunch, read stories and listen to the soft pitter patter of you falling on the roof.
The Chickadeees were so excited about the tent this morning, but were quickly drawn outside by the anticipation of all the activities you provide for us! We pulled each other on the sleds and even went tobogganing! You also provide a refreshing treat (we will have to wait a bit to see if November snow tastes better than December snow!)…don’t worry though we made sure to only taste the fresh fallen snow!
We have noticed that you are cold, fluffy and sometimes slippery, weigh down the tree branches, and create a hush across the land. Although it takes us longer to trek, we went on an adventure to Ducky’s campsite where we played and worked together to build snow forts. It would be ideal if you stuck around so we can add to our forts next week.
We are so thrilled that you have arrived Snow, and we look forward to more fun with you!
Mother Nature sure did hand us a bag full of every type of weather this week, and we still loved every minute of it! Each day at Forest School always looks a little different and discoveries are always unfolding, but some things were consistent throughout our week – like how the snow makes sounds seem more dense, less birds and noise, our well known hikes have become more challenging and there is much more to discover and create in the snow.
Some of the highlights this week that we cannot forget are:
New Creations at Lakeside
Quicksand and Waterfalls
Legends and Plant Identification
Snowstorms
Discovering Duckies Camp site
Eagle eye on Fossil Mountain
Fire Building and Flint and Steel
Prospectors Tent
Dangerous Baby Squirrels
Raccoon Touch
New records with Fossil Mountain Sledding
Fan favourite Fox and Bunny game
Fort building with snow
We look forward to another great week ahead of us!
I think we were all super surprised this morning when we saw so much of that white stuff! We can’t believe we almost forgot how beautiful it is. Our students had a beautiful moment at the start of our day – venturing into the woods, we all found a quiet, personal space where we caught cotton ball size snow flakes with our tongue. It was so quite with no wind or birds to listen to we were in awe of the silence. We observed so much, and we are so proud of our students and their amazing owl eyes.
It was amazing to see all our builders at work this morning ranging from epic igloos, snow city with walls, towers and a full volcano in the middle, snowmen and a race car track fully equipped with a pit stop and stands. Our students even had the chance to play a Forest School favourite game – Fox and Bunny. A game of endurance, chance and pure luck, along with a new twist from a student – the Elder Bunny. The magical bunny that can bring a bunny road block back to life! It was a huge hit, so you should ask your child about it.
We continue to track, explore, share, reflect and build relationships with each other, ourselves and our environment. Thanks for a great snowy day!
A fresh blanket of white snow greeted us in Memorial Park this morning! Many more changes became apparent as we explored, including erosion along the beach, signs of the wind storm, iced leaves, and a certain hush to the forest that comes with the first snowfall.
Birch bark was our offering this morning, which the students tucked into their pockets to save as tinder for our fire later in the day. Ask them about the “Tree Rap” we were working on, to help us learn about the special properties of some trees in our neighborhood. Today we rapped the birch verse and chorus, with more coming your way soon! Stay tuned.
North, South, East and West, is there a direction you like the best? Orienting ourselves in the park was a recurring theme of the day, through games and stories. Do you know which direction the park is from your house? It would be neat to hear next week all the different directions we are all coming from!
Another pretty awesome week we had, starting off with a pretty epic mud kitchen, some hard core obstacle course construction and our imagination even helped us become local farmers.
With all the rain this morning, our students were lucky and discovered 3 rainbows. We pondered about rainbows and why they appear after a rain storm. We all came to the conclusion it was a beautiful sight to see after the dark clouds moved past. This also allowed us to find all the Green Trees (Pine, Spruce, Cedar and Hemlock), which hold magical properties and special medicine. Mother Nature is pretty fascinating!
Our Chickadees ventured to a new part of the forest this week and discovered the Mysterious Forest which led into time spent alone, group play, magical powers of the world, new paths, train stations along with courage, patience and awareness of one self and the natural environment. Ending our day with an amazing puddle discovery full of splashing, jumping, running and laughing.
We had a much needed wet week this week! We remind ourselves on these rainy days just how much the plants, animals and ponds need this weather – we’ve even got a song about it! And even more fun was our first taste of snow!!!
Student interests took us all over the place this week:
-We made fires with flint (slag from a railroad track) and steel by catching a spark on Charcloth.
-We solved the mystery of what seemed like all of our Juniper trees shredding every berry – it was the amazing group of Cedar Waxwings!
-We learned about brand new Wild Edibles with our local expert and friend Barefoot Brian.
-We worked away with our carving knives to create masterpieces for the trading blanket (or just for fun)
-We jumped into the role of herbivores, omnivores and carnivores – and found out what it takes to survive.
-We made epic mud slides, conquered mountains and won birch bark crowns.
-We watched bubbles come from trees.
-We foraged, made and drank wild teas.
-We identified the core values of our group.
-We tracked deer.
-We learned about Bird Language…. first hand and were able to sneak away unnoticed from intruders.
-We found scat – and lots of it!
-We uncovered legends and identified the local trees that were apart of them.
-We built forts and shelters and stores.
-We let our imaginations (and ourselves) run wild.
We had a ton of fun (and even learned some things along the way)!
What an incredibly creative day we had! We were very curious students today and started looking at different types of creature and plants such as :
Red Spotted Purple (Butterfly)
Emerald Ash Borer
Wooly Bear American Dagger
Northern Oriole
We also love rain days because it gives our students the opportunity to dive into their imagination and creative side. We were big builders and inventors – from the tallest tower, pumpkin stoves, painting pictures and 3D replicas.
From carving pumpkins to eating toasted seeds, we even continue to get to know our forest. Finding new mushrooms, Downy Woodpeckers, Salamanders and new plants. We started to focus on the Green trees today, and used our owl eyes to find Spruce, Pine, Hemlock and Cedar. Some were easier finds than others, and we are still on the hunt for the Pine tree!
As adventures unfolded today at forest school, I found myself in awe of the skills that the Chickadees will carry with them, that come from our play and interactions with nature. I even saw future careers unfolding before my eyes. As we dug in the sand for fossils, I imagined them at an archaeological dig. As we created a museum for the rocks, fossils and shells we found in our dig, I pictured engineers designing and planning infrastructures. Negotiations for sharing the building materials and magnifying glasses cast images of lawyers and CEO’s. Band practice broke out with some blocks and wooden dowels which had me imagining music teachers, writers, musicians playing for an orchestra. When a cricket was found on a hat and the children ensured it was safely set off of the path so as not to get trampled, conservationists and ecologists were standing before me. In the words of Dr. Seuss, “Oh the places [they’ll] go”!
We had another action packed week at FSFNS with lot’s of creativity, construction and exploring! Here are some of the highlights:
Carving
Tool-use is a common thing with our students and this week we got out the knives and began whittling away. Students sat around the fire making spoons, spears and butter knives. With the trading blanket happening at the end of the session, we’re eagerly starting to get our projects underway!
Lakeside
The big pond is a favourite for students! This week we spent lots of time exploring, building and even renovating! Our Thursday group decided it was time for a total revamp of our campsite and does it ever look awesome now. We also saw mud slides created, full story lines of storefronts unfold, clay factories open for business and even a spa. While there, we uncovered a creature – the giant water bug aka “toe biter” and learned about the gruesome nature of how it kills it prey. With water levels so low this year, we noticed two newly formed islands in our pond. This week we learned they are even accessible with boots!
Animal Forms and Tracking
Most groups this week got first-hand knowledge of what it feels like to be both prey and predator. We had a couple of epic tracking sessions that unfolded over a few hours where students practiced this amazing skill – as well as sneaking and hiding! We also uncovered many signs of animals in our forests and figured out the stories behind them – deer beds, tracks, dead animals, fur and other leftover signs. With some groups, we also played a classic – “Survival” – where carnivores, omnivores and herbivores are pitted against one another, as well as Mother Nature.
Milkweed
This was our plant of the week and inspired many to practice their fire skills. We learned all about it, made note of areas we could harvest it on our map and even had a song written about it, to go along with Pete Moss’ “Wildflowers”
“There’s a wildflower name Milkweed,
It’s one that the Butterflies need.
Light it up with Flint and Steel,
Make a rope from what you peel”
Seed Collecting
Naturally before we burned the Milkweed fluff, we saved the seeds! And we didn’t stop there – we collected sumac, maple, blackeyed susans, evening primrose and much more! Likely your kids came home with some small package of something!
Up close and personal with Birds
After endless patience, we were rewarded with the trust of the chickadees in Mysterious Forest! These little creatures are now landing on our hands to get birdseed – and even on one person’s head! To do so, our students stayed still and silent, on the ground, camouflaged and even up in trees. It was truly an amazing moment for them. We were also treated to a number of cedar waxwings enjoying the juniper berries above us and the discovery of a dead cormorant we were able to identify because of it’s beak.
Throw in the usual and we had another great time learning and playing outside!
Leaves in the air,
Fall colours everywhere.
What on earth could we use these leaves for?
We had at least 3 ideas, maybe more!
Providing camouflage to hide our treasures,
Running like chipmunks, it was not a day of leisure.
Creating magic wands that cast spells,
Transformed us into frogs, trees, a painted turtle shell.
Burying each other and jumping out to surprise,
Of course a leaf fight was bound to arise!
Roofs for our forts for when the rain came,
More leaves please! The forest heard us proclaim
All in a day of play at forest school,
Unanimously we agree that autumn leaves are pretty cool!
