Flying Deer Nature Center, Author at Flying Deer Nature Center

End-of-Semester Successes and Smiles

We had a whirlwind of a day wrapping up our experience together at FOREST. The day was a crisp one, yet we all were warmed by the bright sunshine, our activities, and by our smiles and interactions with each other.

After completing our usual morning routines of movement, gratitude, sensory attuning, and sharing a daily riddle, we played a game and decided that we should have snack in the sunny field. With the remainder of the morning, we settled into the final phase of our strap drill friction fire kits.

Carving Strap Drill Kits

Today was a beautiful day in the woods! It was nice to see the sun after so much rain this fall. We gathered for an opening circle and played a lively game of Bob the Weasel. After a fun new game called Coyote Steals Fire, we hiked up to our campsite to eat snack.

Now that our bodies had moved and gotten food, we started our main activity of the day: carving strap drill kits with a partner.

The Bittersweet Lessons of Nature

Flying Deer Nature Center Forest Kindergarten | Children Playing in Snow

Our Woolly Bears began the week giving the red squirrel who fell from a tree last week a proper send-off. We arrived to our campsite Tuesday and immediately checked the spot where the little creature lay. The Woolly Bears met the death of this animal with acceptance and love. After snack, we set to work finding an appropriate spot for the gravesite. Once the body was laid in the ground, the children gathered nuts, pinecones, and other comforts to help with the journey to the other side. Nature is the perfect teacher for difficult and sad moments such as these. Meeting such a moment with honesty and reverence allows children to express and process complicated feelings. It is incredible what children can accept and understand when we don’t shy away from these teachable moments and embrace the opportunities they provide.

Nature Notes

Reflections from our faculty on the wisdom of the wild.

Coming soon…

Cobble Semester Begins!

Flying Deer Nature Center Homeschool at Bartholomew's Cobble | Grassy Hill

On the first day of our Homeschool Program at Bartholomew’s Cobble, we journeyed across the vast field to our old campsite beneath a grove of towering White Pines, punctuating a beautiful field painted purple and yellow by the flowers of early fall, asters and goldenrods. Quite a few Queen Anne’s Lace seeds hitched a ride on our clothing as we cut through the field. The creek flowing by our campsite out of the cattail marsh was completely dry, to our surprise … more on that later.

First Day of the Homeschool Program

Flying Deer Nature Center Homeschool | Boy Climbing Tree

We began our day with a fun game of agility that we call Bobcat Tag (giving credit to the reflexes of our local wild feline predator). Afterwards, we gathered some goldenrod flowers to create a line between two groups of students, and played a Wild West name game to test ourselves with the new and old names in the group. Two students stood back to back and, on the count of three, turned and called out the name of their “opponent”; those who were quickest on the draw were the winners and “captured” their opponent!

Fire Challenges and Magical Lands

Flying Deer Nature Center Forest Kindergarten | Children Playing in the Forest

The hooting of a barred owl being echoed by crow calls could be heard as the morning mist was clearing. Our days together in the forest and fields are starting to blend together into a beautiful routine and are sprinkled with exciting and unforgettable memories.

This week, the children’s play found its way through a magical portal into the world of the sleeping giants as well as finding cozy dens to live in. There was much movement around a fallen tree that acted as different vehicles and spaceships for our adventures.

Signs of Spring at the Cobble

Flying Deer Nature Center | Children Playing on Tree Trunk

Flying Deer Nature Center | Children Playing in the Woods

Signs of spring were everywhere at the Cobble today. Spring could be felt in the warmer air, the songs of birds above our camp, and the small drops of water clinging to budding branches.

Our day began with a fun morning circle with the Cobblers; we took some time to feel into our bodies and tune into our surroundings, and then played an awareness game of guessing who the secret hibernator in the group was after that person started putting people to sleep!