AFK is growing! Today we had a new friend, Aubrey, join us in the forest. She will be part of our community through the end of this semester, on Thursdays only. The new spot with the cut trees was the first “go-to” space for many yesterday. Balancing, jumping, and conversation were popular choices, welcomed by the variety of logs. Three clay slides were imagined and used yesterday, one being fondly dubbed as “The Belly Slide”, which was proudly discovered by Miles, after he accidentally slid down feet first on his belly and discovered the experience was delightful. Larkin and Miles engaged in a measuring activity, picking and choosing sticks to compare with the stick that is quite possibly the longest in the forest. Miles also used his super long stick to be “gatekeeper” (NOT “guard”!) and it was wonderful to see him discovering new ways of connecting with the older children. Wendell, Sammy, and Beck discussed their differing opinions over which is more fun: belly sliding or log leaping. Aubrey spent some time finding the best leaves amongst the crowd and shared a story about a red leaves whose green dots were “owies” from falling out of the tree. Charlie and Jarrett used a variety of natural powers in their game, ranging from fire to water to potato (which inspired a whole host of food machine robot attachments from all the AFK-ers). We read Wild Child and Sky Tree at snack and practiced a yoga-based “warrior dance” before leaving the forest for lunch. It was a particularly imaginative day today; perhaps the changes to site, weather, and students allows us to grow in new directions!