March 22
We love to end our forest school sessions gathered around the crackling fire that the wildlings have started, fed, tended, played with, gotten nourishment from and learned from. We allow for each wildling to do what they would like, how they would like. They rummage through the supplies and run off with beautiful ideas taking route. Or the reverse, becoming inspired by nature and come in search of something specific. We love either way!
Today we had hammocks, slack lines, snow baskets, tarps… out to freely explore. And with the request by the children to bring back easter from last year, we entrusted each child with an egg to care for during the day. To do with what they would like, build it a home, make a pully system for it, egg drops, eat it, dye it… all with the thought that if the egg is still whole at the end of the day it will turn into chocolate! Most took this challenge very seriously and created spaces that were then guarded with their lives.
Also by request we made breakfast on the campfire, we worked together and prepared a spread of eggs, bacon and pancakes with wild spruce and juniper tea.
Your wildlings had the opportunity to wildcraft birdhouses, as well as bull kelp necklaces that I collected recently off the beach on Vancouver island while visiting my roots. (You can soak them in oil to give them strength)
We ended the day listening to an indigenous story of how fire came to be and giving an offering of thanks to nature for letting us come, enjoy and learn.
It was a perfect snow day to end our winter ❄️
Ps. You can see the story of your bull kelp on an Instagram video that comes out Wednesday ;).
Previous Weeks
Once we got settled it turned out to be a relaxing and therapeutic kind of day! With whittling, hammocks, painting, climbing, lassoing and games. (I forgot to take pictures this day! Sorry for the few!)
We went to the pond and found ice ready for play! So we shoe skated, sawed and smashed it till our hearts were content. We then made some cakes out of water and ice. We made bird feeders next and watched all our wintering birds crowding in excited about their new addition. We finished the day fire starting and reading nature books.
What a relaxing day to have an unplanned fire day, spending time, slowing down, feeding the chickadees, building bows, playing games with each other and finishing off our day collecting buckets and buckets of ice to put our fire out.
We went tracking animal prints trying to find their dens, water source and food source, then plastering some to get a better look.
We settled in painting the rivers icy edge and starting fires on the ice, inspiring these guys to return back and end the day with a bigger fire at the pit to relax with stories and burn EVERYTHING they could find!
Great day to spend by the campfire! Mixing up bannock bread, making a sun compass and tracking the sun, making bear hangings, foraging for tinder and starting fires. These wildlings are never short on ideas of things to do!
Keep moving! That’s the name of the game when snow is all around. We took to the cave hills to sled and make the most of the day…with body sledding in lieu of ditched sleds!
Lots happening today including a pop up play, where many became involved! Playing camouflage, tarps and tools, and feeding the chickadees! We ending the day making maple snow “cones” and talking about what trees you can make syrup from.
What a beautiful day to head back into the woods! We spent the day exploring the area, collecting golden rod gulls to make necklaces, talking about how indigenous peoples used to use them (and still do) to make beads for jewelry.
We collected mullein for wild hot chocolate, whittled, built a shelter (100% child directed!) of course we had to still do the water test. It was a let’s do whatever we can think of day!
We finished the day starting nature journals which we will add to each week, and discussing different ways to go #2 in the back country (extremely important life skill, that not many talk about 🤫).
