Head

The children explored abundant fungi after the wet weather. We’ve been working on identifying fungus, and observing the variety and colors they bring! We identified Joro spiders at our new spot on Friday, since there were so many due to less foot traffic. We talked about the strength and color of their webs, and how there are usually a smaller male and a larger female in the web. We talked about how they arrived here from Asia and that they’re not native to our region. We also explored animal signs in the forest such as deer scat, and a pile of old feathers. The children’s curiosity has gotten more cognitively advanced as they have gotten more at-home in our forest!

Heart

We are happy to see the children strengthening and developing friendships old and new. This week we noticed children checking in with friends without prompts from adults after accidentally hitting them with a stick or when someone falls down. While this may seem simple from our adult vantage point, the reality is that perspective-taking is very difficult for children, even up to the middle elementary ages. So when we see signs of it in early childhood, it’s something to notice and appreciate (—for ourselves, that is! The children don’t need effusive praise for their prosocial behaviors, and in fact it may cheapen their experience of the richness of it.)

Hands

We saw expanding play themes in our mud kitchen play. Nat worked diligently to gather more items such as moss and acorns to mix and layer into his muffins. Students experimented with changing the color of water by adding different items. Maisie found that pine needles change the water yellow! Ashley has decided to expand upon their interest in dyeing by bringing a fabric dyeing project for the children on Tuesday!

Holism

The children are developing such compassion for the creatures in who live in the forest. They are connecting the dots that we have a duty to respect animals and their forest home. Unlike children who visit natural spaces once in a while, and may think of the frogs, bugs, birds, and other visitors as entertainment, our forest kindergarteners are beginning to know who to expect, when to back off from an encounter, and ultimately, how to recognize the interdependence of our human-animals friendships.