The weeks are flying past us as the autumn breezes and colder rains are starting to pick up. The ruffed grouse continues to make itself heard in the bushes around little field and the blue jays and crows are active patrollers of the woods. The leaves are almost all gone, but this allows more sunlight to reach the forest floor, and the golden morning light has left us feeling quite content and warm these days.
Our Woolly Bears have been committed to their deeper learning of fire this week. On Tuesday, we delved into the art of fire by friction, trying out both bow drill and strap drill—two similar methods to obtain a coal that can be blown into flame using the right kind of tinder. Small groups worked hard on a few kits, but alas, no coal was obtained. We will keep working on it!
Thought the week, we have been sprinkling in some sensory-awareness practices that help us become more in tune to our surroundings and our bodies. We practiced Owl Eyes, Deer Ears, Raccoon Touch, Bear Nose, and Foxwalking. Flying Deer Program Director Devin Franklin just wrote an excellent book for children that highlights theses practices and more.
With our senses tuned in, we disguised ourselves the best way you can in the woods: with charcoal, ash, and ferns. The goal of the day was to sneak up on the FOREST group (the 7- to 13-year-old homeschoolers). This is always a favorite day in our semester. This time, we found them building debris shelters near Grandmother Maple and managed to get quite close to both groups! We ended up helping them pile leaves on the shelters and some children even got to try them out by squirming their way inside.
Our projects at camp include working on an abacus, which is a wonderful opportunity for children to practice one-to-one correspondence. Another project is the start of a roof for our tree house. This is a slow process, but we have been sawing and measuring and hauling logs!