We began the week by spending the whole day at the ravine, a favorite play site we’ve walked to many times. The ravine is full of mossy rocks, lots of logs to climb on, and a sand pit! We found snails, spring blossoms and plants, and earthworms! The forest seems to be waking up after a winter’s sleep!

On Wednesday, we returned to the ravine for more play. We celebrated Bea’s fourth birthday, and several friends teamed up to make her a beautiful mud cake, complete with a stick candle for her to blow out. The students are so busy at the ravine! They spend the morning climbing up and down the logs and rocks, gathering onion grass and moss, and carrying bowls of water to create everything from mud kitchen soup to popcorn.

Thursday we braced for cooler, drizzly weather, but were surprised to have really lovely weather instead! After the wind and rain last Friday, we discovered the stump that had been propping up the namesake Fallen Oak from the Fallen Oak Site had been damaged. Sadly, the Fallen Oak wasn’t safe to play on anymore. Although we had been happily spending time in other places in the forest, Sandy Creek Park staff kindly helped us move the Fallen Oak so we could return to play. The students were very open and receptive to the Fallen Oak’s new position on the ground, and quickly made a “playground” from the limbs and pieces. We’re grateful for all the climbing, bravery, and imaginative play the Fallen Oak gave us while it was propped in its former position, but we’re also thankful to witness these natural shifts and new opportunities.

We closed out our week together with a day at the Visitor Center. The weather was much more mild than expected, and we were able to spend a lot of time in the field and garden. Indoors, we baked banana bread for snack (we have some pro banana mashers in the group!), made collages with mixed materials, and played! Thank you all for a wonderful week with your amazing children!