April 9
Today was a fun mix of play and creativity in the finally warm forest! These wildlings built shelters and mixed imaginative potions, and the mud kitchen “lemonade” shop they set up was a busy spot for trading and storytelling! Using bamboo, they created water channels and tested the flow. They also transformed into superheroes and bravely tested their flying abilities off the dock. We wrapped up the day by learning about the bee life cycle and using our senses to listen, hear, and see nature better!
April 16
Our in-house fire concoction crew went straight to the flames the moment they arrived!! 🔥 They dove right into their tins and foraged finds, cooking up all kinds of mystery plates and tending the fire like pros all day!! (I’m brainstorming with the title “the tin pan alchemists” …)🙃
We made tornado potatoes and hot chocolate over the fire, put a hammock to the ultimate test 🫣🤣 (the hammock survived, the rope snapped, landing them all swiftly on their buns 🙂 ). They spent a ton of time racing up and down the hill, then many worked together to perfect a group slackline sway!!
We wrapped it all up with a never-ending lineup at the “Forest Plank Express,” easily a crowd favorite!!
And through all the excitement, one wildling slept soundly the entire day, all cozy and tucked in a blanket and tarp ☺️
Previous Weeks
Spring has definitely been running the show this year. Our wildlings have been fully immersed in everything it’s thrown their way, testing both their bodies and their minds, and they were absolute troopers through the constant blizzards, regardless of whether they made it the whole day or not!
They took on a special challenge with excitement, caring for their very own egg with the hope that it would transform into a chocolate egg if treated well. After naming and dyeing their eggs, they jumped into egg races and continued the fun with more creations.
Despite the cold and chaos of the season, their enthusiasm made it a pretty unforgettable day!
After opening circle, we headed out on a winter mission, part explorer, part snack collector. Along the way, we gathered silver berries, spruce needles, and cottonwood buds for tea, plus anything that looked even remotely like good fire-starting material. We also kept our eyes peeled for animal tracks to see what animals are roaming around this time of year.
Back at the fire pit, teamwork kicked in as we built a fire, warmed up, and made some well-earned tea, then took to the hill for some sledding.
We shared stories about migrating birds and made bird feeders to welcome them back home. Even the cold had a lesson for us today, mostly that fingers and toes are not optional.
Funny moment of the day! I gave these wildlings some cinnamon sticks for their tea, which quickly turned into a full taste-test experiment. Not a little lick either, full-on chewing like they’d just discovered nature’s chewing gum. 🤣
