Category Archives: Tools

Spring Fun (a lot of it!)

Posted on by
Reply

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.

Matt, Kim and Krista

Morning Teas and Nature Cafes

Posted on by
Reply

Hey Folks,

Aside from our core routines, our days varied a lot this week (as they typically do) so check out the highlights below!

Tuesday

On Tuesday we embraced a beautiful day and celebrated a special birthday.  After our morning circle, check-ins and sit spots, we were off for a lunch out to the wonderful Mysterious Forest.  We learned a new game about fur trading that let our students jump into the roles of Europeans and Indigenous Peoples around the time of contact.  We did this to build off prior knowledge and while the game was incredibly fun, the more important part was the thoughtful and inspiring debrief with our students. (Behind the scenes this is part of our Core Teaching – Heritage Species: Wisdom of the Ancestors).  And of course we had some time for climbing trees, and reading and making up poetry as well.

Wednesday

We started our Halloween with pumpkin carving and cooking the seeds over a fire… they turned out a little burnt, but tasty considering we had no oil!  After our core routines and an impromptu Halloween Costume fashion show, we headed out on a wander.   At a place called “Mushy Beach” (aptly named as we pulled sinking people out) we invented a new game: Crow’s Nest.  It was all about sneaking, moving quietly and “channeling our inner weasel”, as a student put it.  (Behind the the scenes, this targets our indicator of awareness of Quieting the Mind, and core routines related to Animal Form, Questioning and Tracking, and even Sit Spot.) 

Later in the afternoon, we returned to the ruins of our dam from a month ago.  This time it was reinforced with a spillway (pipe) to let out any overflow.  It was awesome to watch ideas come to life and young minds work together to create something epic.  And we got a first hand look at erosion and alluvial fans from the debris of the “river”.  We also had some students make some cool  clay creations.

Thursday

From tea on the fire (and a new tripod cooker built), to human knots, to snakes on the trail and our new fur trading game (see Tuesday for explanation) – the Thursday group was super busy!

One fun and creative moment that unfolded that we want to share with you occurred with our newly updated Mud Kitchen.  It started in the morning with a couple students creating “recipes” for nature soups, drinks and salads and writing them down in their journals.  Fast forward to Free Play in the afternoon and suddenly the whiteboard is out with “Nature Cafe” written across it.  Before long, there are more cooks, servers and patrons of the restaurant and inevitably a currency system.  And eventually pretty much the entire group is involved.  It was magical! (Behind the scenes: this is a great example of symbolic and socio-dramatic play!)

Further, and what really made us as educators so proud, was that the “ingredients” for the recipes were specific plants that we have learned to identify over the last few years.  And each recipe was pretty complex, requiring at least 8 different plants!

Friday

We started with tea over the fire again (catnip and cedar) and got ready for a wet and cool day!  If the weather was an issue, the kids didn’t let on as they embraced the day.  We headed out on an adventure that led us to Mysterious Forest.  We played a huge game of Sardines where one person hides and the others hide alongside that person when they find them.  Playing in such a big space that is so well treed gives us the sense of being lost or at least being away from others and alone. (Behind the scenes: this one of our pillars of risky play)

We made our way back, pretty wet and ready for a warm-up and lunch.  After lunch we read a Nootka legend from the Pacific Northwest called Octopus and Raven.   The students then created or interpreted their own legends in dramatic form.  They were inspiring tales! (Behind the scenes: Storytelling is one of our fundamental Core Routines)

If you’ve read all this (thanks!), you can see we had a pretty fun week.  Every group we have is so different and we are so thankful to have the space and freedom to follow the interests of our kids – it really makes for unique days.  A big thanks to our student’s parents and guardians for knowing the value in this!

We are CAVING next week for our Painted Turtles, Snowy Owls and Blue Herons!  Please dress to get wet and muddy.

Cheers,

Matt, Aislinn, Michelle and Krista

Pics:

  

The Infamous Grape Valley

Posted on by
Reply

Hey Folks!

Just a quick post this week but wanted to share some of the highlights from our adventures.

The majority of our older groups this week spent a significant time in Maple Forest, even having a few “lunch outs” on our drier days.  In Maple Forest, we have a special spot we call “Grape Valley”.  This has become a hub for our imaginative play, construction and exploration.  Students built shelters, swung on vines, created complex “Hotel Management” systems using some of the shelters and sticks as currency, built fires, whittled wood and much more.  We also made Bannock over the fire and learned about it’s history and cultural importance.  There are so many wonderful stories that unfold when the students are given the time, space and maybe some prompting ideas to run with.

We developed a new game as a school this week that we like to call “Scout” or the “No name name game”.  It’s a mix between capture the flag and camouflaging, and with the groups’ feedback we think we have come up with a great version.   Ask your kids about it and they’ll probably have a lot of tactics and stories to share.  As for us, there is always a method to our madness and this is so much more than a game.  In this game, we jump into many of our core routines throughout – Animal Forms, Sit Spot, Expanding our Senses and Quieting the mind.  And it’s fun – the joys of play-based learning.

Our younger folks had a fun time exploring this week and learning about new wild plants, playing in the sand and building epic structures, painting flags, creating obstacle courses with our loose parts and much more!

A big thanks to our Wednesday Group who were eager to help set up our Winter Prospector Tent!

Cheers,

Your FNS Team

Pics:

 

Tool Time and other fun stuff!

Posted on by
Reply

Hey Folks,

We trust everyone had a great long weekend and a wonderful Thanksgiving.  This week, we were back at our home base at Bygone Days after our paddling trips last week.  We do so much over the course of a week at FNS, it’s hard to sum up – but here are couple things!

Macro Models

We like using macro-models to help reinforce learning.  A macro model sets up parameters for learning in which students create their own experiences.  They are community-building activities that have specific learning goals and are interactive representations of simple or complex systems. The participant becomes part of these systems to see, hear, and feel how the whole system operates and understand the parts involved, thus creating endless learning connections and experiences.

After seeing the salmon jumping last week, we became salmon this week in a model called “Hooks and Ladders”.  Students start by “swimming” downstream while encountering all sorts of obstacles that salmon would face on their journey (predators, fishers, etc), then swim back upstream  facing more obstacles (ladders etc) after some time spent in the bay.  It’s a creative opportunity to get a better understanding of the life cycle of the salmon in our own ecosystem!

Tool Use

Some students this week had the chance to use saws and carving knives.  After a comprehensive lesson and students feeling confident to manage tools safely, students are allowed to use the tools independently. We learn to respect and use these tools with care and create some wonderful things!  This week we saw some natural hammers carved, wooden knives, wands, animals and much more.

After some crazy hot temperatures at the beginning of the week, it finally felt more like Fall towards the end.   Which means it’s a good time to remind everyone that your children need proper layers to stay warm and participate fully, including rain gear. Check out our blog on layers and dressing appropriately.

We are also excited to announce we are opening up a Wasaga Beach Forest and Nature School beginning this Winter!

Have a great weekend!

The FNS Team

Pics:

 

 

Turtles, Chickens and Giant Slingshots

Posted on by
Reply

Hey Everyone,

We welcomed the warm weather and (mostly) sunshine with open arms this week at FNS!  The birds were quite active, insects were out and about, turtles and frogs were sunning, flowers and grasses were growing – Spring is here.   Check out the recap below.

Tuesday

After some of our core routines, we dove into our full values contract.  If you are unfamiliar with this, essentially we brainstorm of ideas to what it takes to create a safe, happy and welcoming atmosphere for all, write them all down on leaves and pin them to our FS tree.  Everyone signs the roots (and taking ownership over it) and these become our norms and guidelines that we were refer when needed.

We then headed out for our camp out lunch to Mysterious Forest to try and unravel some of the mysteries.  Children sought to understand the “Mystery” of  Mysterious Forest and discovered all sorts of clues to what it could be.  And so what is the Mystery?  Well, the jury is still out on that. But slowly the puzzle pieces are coming together.

Throughout the day, we took time to develop our quiet minds by being intentional on taking time to listen.  A great book we read is The Other Way to Listen by Byrd Baylor which set the tone for some quiet connection time in the Forest.  We also spent some time channeling our inner animals (aka Animal Forms) in various games like camouflage and person-hunt.

Oh and we found a great big painted turtle just meandering it’s way across the path!

Wednesday

Wednesday was a student-planned day and after months, perhaps years, of asking we finally decided as teachers that Nerf Mania could happen.  (For more information on the “behind the scenes” of this decision, we’ve written a a blog in our Campfire Notes – check it out here.)

After creating comprehensive guidelines, our day started off with a triathlon where students raced around the pond, answered an FNS trivia question and then fired at their homemade target to see how many points they could achieve.  From here we moved into target practice by setting up “antique tin cans” (toilet paper rolls) on a fence and trying to knock them over.  It’s surprising how accurate they can be.

We had snack and moved into learning about hunting.  We talked about skills as a hunter (silence, camouflage, patience, etc) and sustainable practices.  The students then became hunters with the goal of shooting the deer before the deer noticed them.  They set up their perfect space, and waited.  And waited.  And waited.  Until the deer (teachers) started grazing and moved close enough to be hit!  Later on, we finished our day with Capture the Flag with a twist using Nerf.

And did we mention Baby Chicks?  16 to be exact.  With all the Nerf excitement, we as teachers were pleasantly surprised when students opted to spend most of their days playing with the chicks (to be clear: Nerf and Baby Chicks were two very separate activities).  They gave them names, built huge elaborate homes, and even some amusement parks.  We as teachers also learned an important lesson – it’s hard to debrief  when everyone in the circle is holding a squawking little chick!

Thursday

Our day started off with the usual routines, but when we headed to our check-in and sit spots we noticed something.  There were so many birds! And one thing led to another and before we knew it, we were following some turkey vultures to see what they had found.  This led us North to an off-the-map area and we found it!  Massive vultures over the remains of Green-Winged Teal (we later identified) which gave us a first-hand look at the food chain.  After finding some other interesting things, we all agreed that we need to explore this area in more depth.

After snack we jumped into a new team-building game we like to call Islands.  The premise is all students have some sort of ability taken away, and all know a few bits of the puzzle.  They rocked this game and came up with some really creative answers.  Ask your child about it.

Before lunch, we got out some tools and constructed a giant slingshot with some of our students.  After lunch, we just had to try it out and headed out to explore around the lake.  With the sun so hot, we inevitably stumbled across a TINY painted turtle. Check out the pictures below!

Friday

Another beautiful day, and we took full advantage.  After spending some time in our sit spots and trying our the giant slingshot, it was the Friday groups turn to try out the Island teambuilding game (see Thursday).  And they rocked it! It also led to a really powerful debrief for this group about teamwork, cooperation and communication.

After lunch, we slowly headed West with our Willow Crowns, checking for our amphibian and reptile friends along the way (and climbing a mountain).  Eventually we made it out to Maple Forest to check out the new trail systems that have been created.  This gave us a good chance to reflect on balancing human impacts (including our own) in natural areas.  The new trails are beautiful!

Upon arriving to Grape Valley, our campsite, we spent some time getting to know one another better.  We broke off into pairs and “interviewed” each other, then reported back to the group to introduce our partners.  And before we knew it, it was time to head back.

More Pics:

 

Wands and Spoons, Paddles and Hedgehogs

Posted on by
Reply

Hey Folks!

We had a wet day at FNS, but it didn’t stop us from fully embracing it.   In fact, by shifting our focus and recognizing all the positive things that rain brings to our lives and everything around us, it helps us approach the day in a totally different way.  And when we are a bit wet and uncomfy, we try to remember just how much our newly sprouting plants really need this water.

While doing our best to stay dry, we were keen to continue playing-in and exploring the natural world.  After fun new games that put us in the roles of animals – ask your kids about Bird Attack and Wolf vs Deer – we got to our lesson of the day: Natural Crafts using carving knives.

Tool use is an important part of Forest and Nature School and after an in-depth tutorial and safety lesson, students were off to their sit spots to find the perfect piece of wood for their creations.  Our students demonstrated patience and determination in their craft, as it takes time to whittle masterpieces from wood.  We got to see the beginnings of many awesome projects unfold:  hammers, spoons, wands, a wooden knife, hedgehogs, spears, spatulas, paddles, mini canoes and more!  Check out the pictures below!

Next Week:
Our Friday group is going on a Field Trip for a local hike!

Have a great weekend!

Matt and Natasha

More Pics:

Catching Wind, Carving Spoons and Creating Shelter

Posted on by
Reply

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:

Recycle, Reuse, Rethink (Reclaiming Wooden Pallets)

Posted on by
Reply

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.

Wednesday

Our Wednesday group dove into building immediately in the morning.  They gravitated towards the materials and ideas started flowing – so much so that we needed a resupply of pallets mid-day.  The possibilities were endless, and by noon we had a table built for us to each lunch on.  Check the pics below as they do a much better job than I can explaining it, but some of the other projects included:

  • a “Donut Canon” storefront created for sit spots
  • a gravity powered tap and sink
  • a stage (and a show at the end of the day)
  • beautifully painted tiles on a pallet and storage container for sit spots
  • a raft (version 2.0)
  • homemade jewellery
  • a “cross-pult” – a hybrid combination of a catapult and crossbow
  • a crossbow and more!
Thursday

Our Thursday group arrived with a huge level of enthusiasm, ready to get building.  After some play and a hike to check-out some creations of other groups, we divided up our resources and got to work.  Check out the process and final products in our pics below, and here are some highlights:

  • a performance stage
  • 2 boats and paddles, that were later raced in the giant puddle
  • a swinging chair made of one pallet
  • a hockey target
  • a mini horseshoe set
  • ladders for our tree fort and much more!
Friday

Our Friday group last week chose to start building a tree fort which inspired many of the creations earlier this week.. The area known as “The Fort” seems to be living up to it’s name and our students marveled at how much effort the other groups had added to their initial creation – swings, climbing pieces, stages, shelters and more.

Students worked hard together to come up with more creations and even added others’ creations making a huge (and amazing!) store that sold all things sumac, in “Sumac Cove”.   We love all the collaboration at Forest School (even across days) and here are some more creations that were made (again check the pics for more details!):

  • a pallet car (with two seats) parked in a sit spot garage
  • a balance beam
  • a nature record play combine with store
  • a roof for shelter

A key component of FNS is seeing kids as competent learners and letting the learning unfold.  As an educator, we are there to support this learning and co-conspire along the way.

The Big Takeaway? It’s amazing to see what children can come up with when they are given the space, tools and resources needed to open up their imaginations.  A lot of creativity and collaboration unfolded. Students took a lot of pride in their work (and rightfully so!)

Next Week:
It’s hard to believe but it’s our last week of the Winter Session!  Next week we celebrate all we’ve done and welcome the Spring.

Cheers,

The Forest School Team

More Pics:

Pioneers, Fire Keepers and Engineers

Posted on by
Reply

This week at Forest School was special in that our classes had planned in advance their “perfect” Forest School Day and we set out to achieve these goals.  Thus we had some very different looking days this week, and here’s a quick recap.

Wednesday

Our overarching theme of the day was camping out and so after some impromptu rafting on the huge puddles and a game of ga-ga ball, students strapped on their backpacks with lunches and we hiked out to the elusive mysterious forest to begin development.  We built a fire place, learned how to saw wood safely and purified water.  We teamed up and made natural and tarp shelters, boutiques, meditation rooms and even traps with pulley systems – the students were only limited by their imaginations.  In the end, a whole little community developed in our once little-known forest.

Other than our infrastructure development, students got lost in a world of play – cops and robbers with a twist (doughnut launchers!) and creating natural treasures such as ballerinas made of pine needles and leaves.  We also were introduced to a new game called Fox and Mouse, a soon-to-be classic (think capture the flag meets freeze tag).

Time slipped by and before we knew it, it was time to have a marshmallow and hike out!

Thursday

Thursday was all about Fire!  We learned about the basic needs of a fire: heat, oxygen, and fuel and effective ways to create them.  A big thanks to our student teachers who led this lesson!

Next we were off to “Lakeside View” where, after a quick lesson in material gathering and fire nest-making, students were tasked with the mission of creating a fire without using a match.  After much preparation and anticipation (and a lot of learning from our mistakes and successes) everyone was able to light a fire using only flint (magnesium) and steel! And everyone earned their Fire Keeper Beads.

In the afternoon, we launched a rocket and headed out to sit spots for some upgrades and more fire building.  Out next goal is to make a fire with a bow-drill!

Friday

Friday was a day of construction where we headed out early in the rain to “Lakeside View” and “The Fortress” to get creative in and around our sit spots.  Students used reclaimed wood to make additions to the their sit spots after having a lesson on sawing techniques, hammering and drilling.  We even built a tree bridge as the beginning of a bigger tree house project we hope to add to in the future,

and by adding climbing holds, we’ve realized it’s the beginning of the ultimate outdoor playground!

After lunch and some fun and games, we opted to return to our sit spots for some more upgrades and imaginative play as the sun came out.  A day well spent!

Thanks to all the students for their wonderful ideas which made this week a very special one!

Next Week: One of our favourites – PROJECTS!

Cheers,

The Forest School Team

More Pics:

 

A hiking we will go…

Posted on by
Reply

Hey Everyone,

It was a great week here at Forest School and we had a lot of fun as teachers exploring new places and old favourites with our students.  On Monday, we held a trial day to introduce new children to FNS.  It was a great day full of sharing our special places at Bygone Days, hiking, playing, making shelters, fires and building with hand tools.  Thanks to all those who came out, we had a blast!

Once a semester we like take a field trip to explore our local trails.  We live in a beautiful area and believe that place-based education extends to our community as a whole.  This week, we went to 4 different natural places with a goal to explore, have fun and learn a few things along the way.

Tuesday – Clendennan Dam

Located in Clarksburg, this place is a gem!  After checking out the dam (and racing sticks over it) we headed along the trails.   This hike offers a beautiful cedar forest, perfect for tree climbing as our students soon found out.   The Chickadees set up camp and played around while the Snowy Owls headed further down the trail – trampled across bridges, along the cliffs, through the forest and finally out to the Beaver River.  Along the way we saw lots of animal prints, fish and after lunch we were even treated with the discovery of a Beaver Dam.

Wednesday – Duncan (Bruce Trail)

The Collingwood and Heathcote FNS’s joined forces for this day as we stomped our way through some of the muddiest trails we’ve ever seen… and you probably already know this from the state of your child’s clothing.  But muddy kids = happy kids, right?!

We hiked for a bit, down hills, across streams and up ladders over fences then chose a nice spot to hunker down for lunch.  While there, unstructured time unfolded in various ways – building forts (which became zombie refuges), fairy cities with playgrounds and restaurants, and good old fashioned group games.

Thursday – Eleventh Line Trail

With the weather on Thursday our plans changed and we spent a good half of the day exploring and hiking around our own property.  In the afternoon, we stayed a bit closer to home and had an awesome time splashing through puddles, navigating log balancing beams and searching for the perfect hiking stick.  Oh, and again, avoiding the zombies on the Deer Trail of course! Kudos to these kids for braving (and embracing) the wild rain and snow!

Friday – Kolapore

Friday was a special day and with the awesome weather we were able to explore a really special place – Al’s Cave.  Located close to Metcalfe Rock along a side trail, Al’s cave is home to a Geocache.  After a crash course in Geocaching, students were given the GPS and led the way.  After some twists and turns, and climbs and descents, we found our way and entered the cave.  After a bit more looking we were able to locate the Geocache, swap prizes, write our name’s down and learn about Al and why this place is so important to us. When we returned to the school, students were so excited we continued our Geocache adventure and uncovered 3 more!

It was a really fun week, and we’d encourage you to explore these places with your kids! Let us know if you need anymore details to get there!   Before we wrap up, we wanted to send out a BIG WELCOME to our new students this week and last. It’s exciting seeing our community growing!

A big thank you to all of the students who helped create our wonderful FNS float for the parade – it looked fabulous and was a great group project!

Next Week: Wild About Maps!!

Cheers,

The Forest School Team
(Matt, Kim and Tamara – and so many more!)

More pics:

Monday:

Tuesday:

 

Wednesday:

Thursday:

Friday: