April 11
We were totally off our photo game today đŸ«£â€”but what a day it was! After settling in at our favorite beaver mud hole, some wildlings went all-in on fishing, others were determined to engineer the perfect rope swing over the river, and a few dabbled in a bit of everything. We wrapped up the day by foraging a few of winter and spring’s wild edibles to add a unique twist to our lemonade!
Previous Weeks
This group is all about fun and play! We can’t wait to see what winter brings!
We spent most of the day at our pond site, which was a real treat—completely frozen over and perfect for snow skating! It also gave us a great opportunity to discuss and practice ice safety, including what to do if you hear a crack.
The kids quickly spread out to follow their own interests—painting on the ice, snowshoeing, discovering mouse burrows in the snow, exploring the edge of the pond and finding a goose kill site, mining the cliff wall, creating mudslides, or even trying to crack through the ice to make a boot cleaner for everyone to use!
We wrapped up the day by making snow ice cream, playing games, talking about animals in winter, and huddling under a large tarp to experience the warmth of a den. This led to a great discussion about how animals can teach us so much about survival. And of course, we spent some time just hanging out with the chickadees!
We quickly settled into the Mini Forest, starting with a review of knife and saw safety. Time flew by as we explored the forest for its hidden treasures, whittled away, and felt the vibrations of the seemingly constant stream of passing trains!
We took off to the cave site to explore, strengthen our bodies, and test our limits! Hammocks, rope swings, games, conversations, and roasting marshmallows were all on the menu today.
At the top, a group of kids discovered a large hole and quickly realized that even just a finger deep, it was cold! Sticking their arms in felt even colder than a fridge!
These wildlings were completely immersed in their own play. Staying in the background so as not to disrupt the magic, we watched as they whittled, created their own worlds and characters in the mini forest, cleared out spaces, and discovered new, amazing areas to explore!
Cactus tea? That was a first for us!
We spent the first half of our time exploring, playing, and foraging. Then we headed back to the fire pits and started up our propane fire—since the fire ban had started in mid-February đŸ˜¬.
We settled in to make donuts and brew some foraged tea with cactus, spruce, mullein, and licorice root.
We finished the day reading winter legends from Siberia and Guatemala, and passed around a sugar pine cone—those trees produce the largest pinecones in the world!
We wildcrafted quills from found feathers and blackberry ink while exploring and playing at the kids’ favorite cave site!
We ended the day decorating our quills, building pulley systems up in the trees, and playing Bear Den!
We started the day with team challenges—setting up storm-ready tarps, building bird’s nest fire starters, and crafting tent pegs!
Each team took a completely different approach, but both rose to the challenge!
