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A Magic Treehouse

This morning we continued our practice of Qi Gong, learning some new slow movements as well as a new fast movement: the Chickadee Dance! This shaking dance mimics the way birds stay warm in the winter by ruffling their feathers, and it helps us stay warm, too.

Our campsite activities today consisted of some construction at our treehouse. A group sawed cedar logs and hauled them over to the structure and then screwed on planks of wood to create a new ramp. The platform did not have a very good ladder or way to get up and down and we are excited to see how this new feature will add fun and function.

Gratitude for the gifts of winter

Gratitude has been a practice of Flying Deer’s since its inception; it’s how we begin every staff meeting and morning circles with students. This year, we hold our collective practice of gratitude closer than ever to our hearts. We truly are so fortunate beyond measure for so many things: incredible families that trust us to keep their children safe, caregivers who are nurturing amazing kids, students who surprise and delight us on a daily basis, access to beautiful and vibrant land alive with diverse wildlife and complex ecosystems.

PINk Snow and Taffy lollipops!

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!

embracing winter

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!

The WInter session begins!

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!

Lessons from a fawn

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.

A House in the forest

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.

Tending the fires

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.

Lessons of the Land

What a joy it is to be outdoors with the children, whether in a downpour or glorious October sunshine! We spent this week learning new parts of the land, collecting tinder for next week’s fire focus, and exploring ideas of humanity and fairness through play and puppets.

Many of the teachings at Flying Deer, whether about ecology, awareness, or wilderness skills, are rooted in practices and skills of indigenous peoples. In recognizing Indigenous People’s Day this week, we talked about land acknowledgements and the Mohican people. For young children, abstract thinking and reasoning can be hard to connect with or understand. So instead we used puppet shows to explore themes of land, respect, and fairness.

Explosions of Color

As we arrive on the land each morning, it feels as if one tree dropping its leaves gives rise to another exploding into color. While we have loved these sweet sunny days, we welcomed the arrival of rain this week. We sipped rain drops, made mud pies, and watched the showers replenish the creek after a long drought. There is no better antidote to rainy day blues than a child’s wonder, which reminds you of the types of play only rain can invite.