Author Archives: Tresca Weinstein

As snowy skies gave way to sunshine and snow melt, we were amazed to see all the different types of snow and ice that can form. We talked together about different languages and cultures where more than one word for snow exists and why that might be. We dubbed Tuesday’s snow to be tortilla chip snow and ate plenty of it too!

Resilience never ceases to amaze us. It comes in when we most need it to help us through challenging times and makes us stronger. These colder days are a true testament to our ability to make it through hardship. Having to manage mittens and frosty fingers as well as a mask that gets wet is no easy feat for young children who are still learning to regulate themselves and take care of their belongings. However, days like today reinforce how wonderfully appropriate it is for us to weather the weather, together!

After a restful few weeks, it felt wonderful to be back in the woods with your children! Our days were punctuated by rekindled friendships and sparks of new ones forming. We also welcomed Raei Bridges (he/they), who will be spending Wednesdays with us as part of an Instructor Internship with Flying Deer. Raei founded an amazing local organization called The Rusty Anvil. We already have seen glimpses of the magic, wisdom, and energy Raei will bring to the Woolly Bears!

This week, we explored the theme of shapes. Students were especially captivated by pentagons and cylinders. During our nature walks, children were asked to search for shapes in the landscapes and we found all kinds of shapes—the heart shape of leaves, sticks as cylinders, ice cubes, circles in the tree rings of a stump, pentagons in the profile of the barn. Some even found ovals and triangles in their lunch boxes!

We had a week of celebrating December birthdays, a unit on bone and skull studies, hikes, and camp caretaking punctured by plenty of play in late fall sunshine! One of the beauties of this program is our ability to patiently observe natural processes together. Whether that is the change in leaves, temperature, or campsite, the young ones are so keenly aware of changes in the land around us. On a weekly basis, a Woolly Bear notices a change in the landscape that has completely missed my busy adult radar. Kids are instinctively drawn to this type of mindfulness—a quality that as adults we so often try to reclaim. This semester we have all been tuned in to an interesting and a bit surprising landmark: a decomposing fawn. 

Among the many things that we plan and create for the children, there is no better moment than when all those things are completely thrown out the window in exchange for deep, timeless, cooperative play. Today was one of the most incredible and satisfying days I have had in the forest with children. Our entire day after circle and snack was spent planning, building, and touring a house the whole group built together. 

Happy fire day! Fire tenders and fire keepers are growing strong in our forest. The children practiced many fire-making skills this week.

Each child made their own flint and steel striker set to practice with throughout the semester. On Wednesday, we did a group fire challenge: Burn the rope above the fire and reveal the treat in the pot hanging from the tree.