Snowy Days

Dear Snow,

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!
From Monday’s Chickadees, Emily and Krista

Snow Snow, stay and play!

Hi Friends,

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!

The FNS Crew

Snowmageddon

Hi Folks,

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!

Krista and Travis

Winter Wander-land

Hey Everyone,

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!

Cheers,

The FNS Crew

Let It Snow

Hey Folks!

Ready for our song of the week?…

Oh the weather outside is delightful (not frightful) and the campfire is so delightful (too)… and since we’re an emergent, student-led program with no set place to go… let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.  (Did you sing it?!)

Snow!!! We love snow at Forest School and what a wonderful way to kick of the soon-to-be Winter Season… and we took full advantage of it all week long.   Snow is a natural Loose Part (and one of the best!) and it wasn’t long before students were hard at work building and creating.  Over the course of the week we had berms, ramps and jumps created with the help of straw bales in an ever-changing course for toboggans; entire snow families were made, including the tallest in FSFNS history; a quinzee village sprung up and even an igloo!

With the fresh snow over the course of multiple days, we also focused on our core routine of tracking and questioning this week.  We found so many cool tracks in snow – deer mice, foxes, dogs (especially Aden, Arys and Nuka), coyote, cat and rabbits.  Every track told us a story as imaginations came alive and the animals were brought to life.  We even caught a shrew when it’s subnivean tunnel was accidentally collapsed.  Oh, and we tracked people, too, in epic games of “Track and Seek”.

Throw in some good old fashion sledding, winter games of camouflage, extreme sardines and crows nest (behind the scenes: we use these activities to activate our quiet mind, and jump into animal forms), hot fires in the tent and campfires outside, hiking, sliding down fossil mountain and so, so, so much more… and we’re in a  true Winter Wonderland.

Side note: We worked on our float this week for the Santa Clause Parade – come see it today in Collingwood at 5 pm!

Have a great weekend!

The FNS Team

 

Where the Wild things are… and Robins in the classroom.

Hey Folks!

What started out as a bit of a scary weather day, turned into an awesome day at Forest School!  As the temps became mild, and snow fell instead of freezing rain, our students spent all day playing, searching and building in the snow.  It started with a secret hideout, made of a tarp and snow wall (and a nearby hammock) and our adventure grew from there.

After reading the book “Where the Wild Things Are” and noticing some funny tracks in the village, we were off on a hunt to find where the “Wild Rumpus” had occurred the night before.  We followed the tracks and some clever clues, and meandered our way to not only find the location of the party, but the homes of all the friendly Wild Things!  And we noticed one thing in particular – one of them had a mailbox.  So we drew some pictures and sent a letter to the Wild Things in hopes of receiving one back next week.

After some quiet time in nature – quiet enough for a Robin to come right up close to us – a cool thing happened!  That very Robin flew into our classroom to say hello.  We watched and observed it, and got some up close looks at it.  We then started to think about what it may be thinking and how it may be feeling.  Students showed a lot of empathy, and when the Robin figured it’s way out the door, we all let out a big cheer!  And afterwards, we had her following us around on our hike and felt a kindred connection with this creature (now named Reindeer the Robin, not be confused with Robin the Reindeer – ask your kids).

Oh, and a side note, something that all students loved was using our digital temp reader.  We measured how warm our hands were, the heater, snow, even the Robin.  It’s a good investment if they’re on mega sale!

Have a great week!

Matt and Aislinn

More Pics:

 

Catching Wind, Carving Spoons and Creating Shelter

Hey Folks!

Well did we ever get hit by Winter again this week!  We dawned our creative caps and here’s our recap below:

TUesday

After our core routines (smudge, check-ins and sit spots) we took a deep dive into the world of shelters on Tuesday in hopes of mastering this bush craft.  We learned about the fundamentals of three important natural shelters: Lean-to’s, Debris Shelters and Teepees.   After snack, we made our way to Grape Valley, in Maple Forest.  Students divided into to teams and erected two awesome shelters – one huge debris shelter and the other a “Derbris-to”, which is a newly named hybrid.   We added a bridge across the river by upcycling a used pallet all in an effort to create our new little community in the woods.  We had some fun on the natural grape swing before heading back for (a late!) lunch.  After some Forest School Idol, we ended our day with some unstructured play and reflection time.

Wednesday

What a wicked blizzard we had a Bygone Days! We braved the gusting winds, but were forced to stay pretty close to the Schoolhouse throughout the day.  After our core routines and sit spots, we jumped into designing crafts and making our visions come to life.  Many students felt drawn to planting seeds and came up with creative ways to give them a jump-start in life.  We made a bunch of self-waterers  out of old pop bottles and string, and also elaborate irrigation systems of pipes and containers.  We saw many different greenhouse blueprints come to life as we learned about the effects a greenhouse can have on a plant (and the planet).  Don’t be surprised if your child came home and immediately put their concoction in a south-facing window to maximize the sun’s energy – our student’s way of bringing a little sunshine to a very cloudy day!

We saw lots of other projects come to life to as we were really only limited by our imaginations.  Clay pots and gravy boats, carved hammers, painted tiles and wood and so much more.

We wrapped up the day with flying kites, making make-shift tarp shelters in the wind and a team-building challenge.

Thursday

After our core routines students dove into some fun using materials from the classroom and nature.  We saw some incredible things:

Water devices created with recycled bottles and pool noodles
Golf clubs that attach to arms
Shakers that also snow
Carved spoons, guitars and so much more
Pompoms from scratch
Fidget beads and sword holders
Self-watering plants
and much more!

After lunch, we headed out to our “Original” Campsite for a bonfire, some quiet reflection time in the woods along with a story, and some creative play.  Minus a sudden darkening of the skies and a 10 min snowstorm, we had glorious weather all day!

Friday

On Friday we ventured out to the little known Grape Valley after a lesson on shelter building.  Students added their special forts to our growing campground community out there.  We installed new shelters, a new bridge, began a rock wall and even discovered a huge old tree that turned into a “hotel”.  It’s a stunning tree on a hillside, so a simple step up on the North side (to essentially a natural platform) gets you 15ft up on the South side – an instant favourite!

And then a nice, light snow began and we decided to slow things down.  We gathered round the fire pit, read a story about quiet places, and took some solo time reflecting in the silence of the woods.  Upon return, we uncovered there’s a lot of noise in silence.

After lunch, we headed out to sit spots where the “Sumac Store” was opened carrying a variety of products – most notably Sumac Popcorn for the Forest School Idol competition.  And while the teachers were yanked off the stage, good times were had by all.  We also had some students work hard against the snow to earn their Fire Keeper beads by lighting a fire using flint and steel.  Congrats!

Next Week:
Monday – welcome back Chickadees after a week off! We are at the school.
Tues-Thurs  – FIELD TRIP! We are going on various hikes and will be gone for most of the day.  Please ensure you child brings a backpack!
Friday – Natural Art at Bygone Days!

Cheers,

The Forest School Team

More Pics:

I speak for the trees!

What a beautiful day we had with our Chickadees on Tuesday at FNS!

After our ceremonial cleansing smudge and morning circle, we started our day with wonderful and imaginative play in the snow that led to us chasing one another, following tracks of all of our animal friends, and building forts, tunnels and fires. During our snack break, we read one of Dr. Seuss’ classic environmental stories, The Lorax. To our surprise, students were determined to trap their very own Bar-Ba-Loot, the bear-like creatures that live in the forest filled with Truffula Trees. Everyone was so curious about the Bar-Ba-Loot because although we have never seen one before, we take good care of our trees at FSFNS so we knew they must be in the area! So students went to work drawing their designs and figuring out all of the necessary equipment before creating their very own Bar-Ba-Loot trap using pulley systems, ropes and a bucket! We checked it often and were ecstatic to discover that one must have come to visit, but was able to escape during lunch break! How exciting! We followed its tracks around for a while – but weren’t able to see it!  If your child is keen to build a Bar-Ba-Loot trap at home, this might be why! Let us know if you have any sightings…

Thankfully, these kids care a WHOLE awful lot!

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
― Dr. Seuss


After lunch, we were joined by our new Tuesday (and Thursday) teacher, Aislinn, and her two wonderful puppies!  We spent the afternoon snowshoeing to Lakeside Campsite, where we played on the thick ice, built another fire and enjoyed some ice cream! That’s right – Ice Cream!  We used some especially fresh and clean snow, coconut milk, vanilla and a touch of maple syrup. It turned out better than we thought and was a nice treat around our closing fire too!

What an exceptional day we had playing and learning together!

Thanks,
Matt and Kim

More Photos:

 


 

 

Swinging Bridges, Black Diamonds and Mysterious Forests

Hey Folks!

Well Winter is back! And hopefully here to stay.  This week at Forest School we were on a field trip for Wed and Thurs and spent the day exploring at Bygone Day’s on Friday.

Wednesday and Thursday

Off to Scenic Caves this week for some fun cross-country skiing and exploring the area.  We started off both days with learning basic skills: how to move, slow down, climb hills, and most importantly how to get up after falling (Turtle-French Fries-Knees to Skis-And UP!).  After some practice laps, students we were off exploring.  Our Wednesday group made it all the way to the lookout point (though it was foggy!) and the Thursdays group braved the fierce snow and tackled the meandering hills – including part of a black diamond for experts only! It was a lot of work climbing some steep hills, but ask your child if it was worth it in the end!

We’re really proud of all the hard work our students put in.  For some it was their first time ever on skis and everyone committed themselves to learn.  After a lot of successes, tumbles and speeding through the trees, it was time for a well earned lunch.

Have you  ever been to Scenic Caves?  Then you know it boasts one of the best parks in the area – just ask your kids! Students loved using all of the fun equipment, especially with all of the snow! Afterwards, student made their way down the snow covered trail and onto the largest suspension bridge in Ontario – what a wonderful way to see our beautiful home! Students enjoyed the panoramic view of roughly 10000 sq. km. overlooking Georgian Bay and they were keen to point out their homes and make connection to places from such a high vantage point.

On Thursday, some students braved a challenge route and took the snow-filled Creekside Trail underneath the ravine and up the other side! We enjoyed a lot of play, collaboration and teambuilding on the slope of the escarpment too.  We loved sliding down into the snowy valley and worked well together (and creatively!) trying to climb our way out.  After all of their hard work,  you probably noticed some pretty tired kids this week!

A big thanks to the folks Scenic Caves – they provided us with equipment, their beautiful property and infrastructure, and a wood fired cabin all to our  ourselves.

FRIDAY

On Friday we saw even MORE snow and had an adventure filled day at Bygone Days. Students ventured out to Mysterious Forest to explore the wonderful natural shelters of our coniferous trees – which provided a great space to play some of our favourite games like sardines and camouflage! Students continue to be engaged in our subnivean tunnel activities, fascinated by discovering more ice below the deep snow and loved to build and spend time around the fire! We visited our sit spots (and created some new ones) and recognized some of the amazing changes that have happened over the winter.  It was an awesome day and especially sunny by the afternoon!

NEXT WEEK:

Weather permitting: ICE FISHING! If you have your own gear, or nifty trinkets that might be helpful or fun during ice fishing, don’t hesitate to bring them in!

Cheers,

Matt and Kim

More Pics:

Wed/Thurs

Friday

 

 

Sit Spots, Snowshoes, and Skis

Hey Folks!

This week we welcomed back the cooler temps (well at least until it warmed up again on Friday) and we took advantage of the little bit of “Winter” we had to explore.

Wednesday and Thursday

We focused this week on getting to know our property a little better and spent time exploring and returning to places we haven’t been to in awhile.  While hiking out and about, we discovered a bunch of cool things:

-That despite the warmer temps, our snow caves continue to persist!
-The Riverbed Campsite is aptly named, and covered in icy water.
-That Fossil Mountain really was made for Tubing!
-That we have the best, gigantic “loose parts” (black pipes) that lead to all sorts of fun, including subnivean tag and 24 m long subterranean tunnel exploration.
-Broomball is intense!

We also took time to refocus on of our core routines: Sit Spots. If you are new to sit spots, we ask our students to choose to visit one special place in nature repeatedly (almost each week) and to get to know it as well as they can. Students are asked to spend varying amounts of time sitting quietly in their spots. In this special spot, we learn to sit still, be by ourselves, and enjoy the feeling of familiarity and knowledge of place that develops over time. Ultimately, a student’s sit spot will become like a safe home from which their curiosity can spark an interest in nature’s mysteries. This time focuses on student-centered learning, place-based learning, personal growth, scientific-inquiry, solitary time and reflection.  We also spend time building, creating and playing together in our sit spots.   This week saw the creation of communities of neighbours in our “Sumac Forest” and “Fortress” areas.  It’s inspiring watching the fun unfold and imaginations run wild.

Friday

We had a special field trip on Friday to Highlands Nordic Outdoor Centre for a day of cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.  After a thorough skills-based lesson, we were off to explore – and what a beautiful day we had for it.  We spent the morning skiing and quickly learned that climbing up hills are hard, but totally worthwhile for the long, fast descents!

After lunch, we headed on a snowshoe hike down into the forest, with awesome views of Wasaga Beach and more.  We played a few games and explored animal trails along the way.  A big thanks to everyone at Highlands Nordic who helped us out!

Next Week:
Wednesday and Thursday groups will be on a Field Trip to Scenic Cave for cross country skiing.  Please bring your own equipment if you have it.  Friday we will remain at the school

We gave out a lot of beads this week! Congrats to the recipients!

Cheers,

Matt and Kim

More Pics:

Wednesday/Thursday

Friday