For the first time this semester we finally had rain! We have a saying in Forest Dreamers: “There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.” We are so thankful that everyone was prepared this morning for some cold, wet fun! We had fun following streams down the rocky road as well as running jumps into the puddles. We took our time following the road on our way to the Native American site.
At the NA site, we quickly set up shelter from the rain. The kids had collected spicebush twigs for some hot tea. For the first time this year, we fired up the Kelly Kettle! The kids were impressed with the flames coming out the top as it heated our water. Of course, what is tea without some honey 🙂 so we poured a generous amount for each child. What better way to warm up than with some warm drink.
For the first time we set out some story stones! The Native Americans were great storytellers and we used this time to create some stories of our own. This has become an activity that the kids are enjoying as we each add our own twist to the story. The last story we told, the precious fawn felt true love for the camper and snuggled into their tent. What imaginations!
With sunshine comes autumn fun! We have spent time climbing, jumping, creating, playing, building, pushing, and testing personal limits this week. Salamander Circle is a popular stop for this crew as they rolled over logs searching for salamanders and decomposers. The big fat earthworms are always exciting and this week we actually got to see one making castings. We explained to the kids that although this may seem “gross”, worm castings make excellent fertilizer for the soil.
Of course, we had to stop at the abandoned straw bales that seem to attract all children. Their imaginations here were endless! This area has been named the straw castle as the kids (with help) created tunnels, walls, holes, and others great structures. My favorite part was watching one of our students overcome her fear and leap off the top bale. Her expression beamed with pride!
As we were walking about this week, we noticed the seeds that were attaching to our clothing. We were surprised to still see seeds from the grasses and plants and even more surprised to still see milkweed fluff waiting to be dispersed! As this group blew the fluff about, we also found some dogbane that we opened and released the seeds. Every day we find something new…something exciting that furthers our love for nature!
