We had a delightful time returning to the forest today! There was a sweetness and joy in the kids in general out in the woods. We are happy to have Miles and Willa as part of our Tuesday group now. They were both great additions to the AFK community, filling out forest play activities in new and satisfying ways.
We had a surprising amount of standing residual water in the dry creek bed in our forest play area, and the water was a little deeper than many of the kids expected, making clear appropriate footwear as well as extra socks, shoes and rain pants are a winter essential, even on some sunny days. Eden brought an antler with her today that was employed as a tool in many contexts. She was gracious about sharing it with others and they were respectful about asking for permission to use it. It was clear to all that this was a special nature treasure!
There were so many beautiful moments today where children guided each other through difficult endeavors as they explored the forest around them. The elements, strong wind, and water played a role in the children’s imaginative play, along with some tree climbing. With trail mix and blueberry hot tea we read a sweet story, The Thing Lou Couldn’t Do. It is about learning to try things that are new or frightening (in this case climbing trees) and it’s particularly endearing because she DOESN’T master the skill at the end of the book, she just decides to practice more the next day!
Students discovered some very cool mushrooms growing on their special “base” log and an egg sack out in the forest today that they were fascinated by, and will check on again. There was some serious mud cupcake baking today: chocolate, cherry and butterscotch. There was hand cleaning on the soft moss nearby, as well as some actual making of “clay” items with soft mud that were integrated into imaginative play. The students also used pastels to do some vibrant art. Magnifying glasses were used to view tiny things in the forest, but also as “pillows” which entertained and delighted Larkin, Eden, and Willa with fits of giggles for way longer than one could ever imagine. Some of the children spontaneously saluted the sun’s warmth during lunchtime after an active, blustery day. It was a good day in the forest!
