June 20
This last day was filled with some serious rain resilience. Your wildlings all embraced it with big smiles! đȘđȘ.
We ventured into the âmini forestâ where we set up shelter, made art, told stories, caught rain in cups, foraged and made wild lemonade, picked flowers, and somehow, time flew by!
We honestly couldnât be more grateful. Youâve been by our sides for so long, and we canât express how much that has meant to us.
Thank you all so much!
Ps. My camera was so wet so some of the pictures didnât turn out đ. Sorry all!
Previous Weeks
What a crew!! We started out the day as normal, only to be quickly displaced đ by a wedding. Unlucky for us, we couldnât just âdibsâ over a planned wedding, as the kids suggested⊠but lucky for us, we have an amazing, up-for-anything crew that found excitement in the adventure of moving our fire day! And lucky we have a Nikayla in our back pocket to help move us quickly!
It was a great lesson (even for me) on being adaptable. It turned out great, and we still got most of our fire foods in⊠well, at least the important treat parts đ Banana boats and Smoreos for the win!
We kicked things off in circle time by tasting the literal sweetness of a wild grass seed! Then, after a mystery story that slowly revealed clues, our ancient giants that once roamed our lands came to play! đŠđŠđŠđŠ
The kids paired up, grabbed a buddy, and got straight to work building habitats. They imagined everything their dinosaurs might need! It was awesome to see the kids communicating, solving problems, and totally diving into the ancient world.
Of course, we travelled around to see each teamâs creation, listening, asking questions, and celebrating their amazing ideas!
We then took a break and cooled off with a splash in the river.
To wrap up the day, we talked about what might be even older than dinosaurs. The answer? Dragonflies! We gathered up some sticks and maple tree seeds and made our own versions of these amazing ancient creatures, still buzzing around today.
It was such a fun way for the wildlings to really imagine dinosaurs roaming and living in the land we now call home. And of course, we had to figure out which of our dinosaur buddies were carnivores and which were herbivores!
They also became the first-ever audience for a drafted story about Pickles the Porcupine, our forest friend whoâs been with us for four years. I needed help choosing the ending, and of course, they were the perfect team to help!
Today, we hit up the pond to explore, stretch our sensory boundaries, and cruise around in a âtote boatâ! đŁââïž
Afterwards, we set off on a foraging walk to identify, collect, and learn about some of the plantsâ uses and history. We gathered goldenrod, liquorice root, cottonwood, and mullein. We added our wild finds to our lemonade for a delicious, earthy twist, natureâs very own refreshment! đâš
With determined minds and soggy boots, the wildlings led us to the shelter of the old mines where we laid out tarps, towels, and ropes, then dove into an EPIC, long, and loud game of The Floor is Lava! Laughter, singing, and happy shouting echoed through the rain-soaked air. Pure memory-making magic.
After reading a story about a raindropâs journey around the world, we hiked up and down a coulee hill. These kids have been loving big hikes lately! Watching them fall in love with this rocky climbânavigating cacti, offering hands, and calling out, âPlace your foot here!â âGrab my hand!ââwas beautiful to stand back and witness.
We discovered ground plums in bloom, shared stares with a curious bunny watching us nearby, and ended our day listening to Nee Nee tell a powerful Aztec legend.
Games, rain, mud, teamwork, friendsâit doesnât get much better. đ
These wildlings were ready to roll today⊠so up, up, up we went, all the way to the lookout! There was plenty of space to run, climb, explore, and even pick a few cacti snacks along the way.
On the way down, we discovered a brand new area filled with hidden treasures, including huge fungi and even a geocache. Of course, we signed our name with pride.
Back at homebase, it was time to swing in hammocks, chill in the fort, and relive the dayâs adventures. Nature days like these? The best kind.
With sunshine above and the river at our side, our wildlings settled in quickly, ready for play and discovery at one of our beautiful sandy river sites.
To celebrate Motherâs Day, the children crafted wish-granting wandsâeach one offering three magical wishes just waiting to be shared. The day only got sweeter as we set out on a dandelion hunt for our special snack: dandelion tempura!
As we foraged, the kids sharpened their nature awareness, learning to distinguish edible dandelions from look-alikes like yellow buffalo peas and yellow leafy spurge (both inedible). It was a lesson in observation, curiosity, and respect for the natural world.
A perfect Motherâs Day in the wild!
River Play & Story Time
With the heat rising, we made our way straight to the river, where the wildlings dove into hours of playâfinding minnows, catching crawfish, and exploring together. We were having so much fun that I forgot to take many photos!
The day wrapped up under the shade of our beloved âairplane tree,â where we cooled down with stories and booksâa perfect ending to a wonderful day.
It was definitely a day to remember! After a cougar sighting the day before, we kicked off the morning with a lesson on cougar safety. Then, we were lucky enough to witness one of the cutest moments ever at Forest School: our porcupinesâPickles and our newest addition, Cheeseâclimbing up and down a tree and âchattingâ with each other (or more like arguing đ). Absolutely adorable!
Before heading out, the kids made their own tick and mosquito spray using all-natural ingredients and proudly covered themselvesâthen excitedly reapplied it all day long!
We then made our way toward the mines, after a thoughtful discussion about whether it was best to stay closer to human activity given the cougarâs unknown location, as it likely hadn’t moved on from the Coulees yet.
Half the group branched off for an adventure walk along the train bridge. Determined to reach the top, we discovered new stairways and, of course, collected prickly pear cactus to process and shareâmostly thanks to Lochlandâs cactus obsession đ€Ł.
We returned to the pickup site to find Pickles and Cheese still hanging out, âchattingâ and belly-scratching, and ended the day with group conversations and a story.
Our first day of Forest School this spring was a splashâliterally! The kids dove right into adventure at the pond, where the water was cool, the mud was plentiful, and discovery waited around every corner. From spotting a massive goose nest tucked away to catching wriggly crawfish and sliding down our much-loved mudslide, nature was in full play mode.
But thatâs not allâeach child was entrusted with a very special mission. They were given a delicate, precious egg to protect and care for throughout the entire day, as Easter bunnies in training. This magical egg was more than just an objectâit represented responsibility, gentleness, and focus. They embraced the challenge with massive excitement, naming and decorating their eggs. If they could care for them all day, the eggs just might transform into shimmering golden treasures by the end!
We ended the day chasing riddle after riddle, each clue taking us to new placesâuntil, finally, we discovered the golden eggs!
