We all received warm welcomes this week as the Woolly Bear Forest Kindergarteners gathered once again for a new session. To think that this time last year, we were gearing up for a major change in all of our lives, it really is amazing how far we have come. Masks are now second nature, and we have adapted, as all creatures do, to hardships and changes in their environment. One thing that has stayed constant are the friendships made. What a joy it was to see friends reunite, sawing wood together, hauling rocks, using friendship sticks, and listening to each other’s stories.
Our week opened up with a new song, “Abiyoyo,” to accompany our story, as well as a new game. We practiced self-control with a bird version of Red Light, Green Light. The Towhee birds had to get the berry back to the start of the line, adding a challenging component of teamwork, too!
During morning circles the rest of the week, we practiced animal forms, choosing a favorite animal and acting it out for others to guess, as well as creating an inquiry chart about what we know about maple trees and things we want to find out. The children are curious about the process of how trees make sap and we hope to learn more about this next week. Drinking some sap at the end of our day on Thursday was a treat, and will be repeated many times in the days to come as the maples produce more and more of the sweet delight.
In an effort to make sit spots a more regular routine, the children decorated their own tree ties. Everyone practiced writing their names as well as adding any creative touch they wanted. Then, each child went out in the woods around our campsite to choose a tree. At the end of the day, we practiced this core routine and received some amazing reports such as “I felt like I was a part of nature” and “My tree told me, I love you.” May this type of connection last forever!
Some children also continued to deepen their practice of fire-making this week by creating a brand new fire pit near the pond. All the central fires this week were lit and tended to in part by a Woolly Bear.
Lastly, we started making beads using the sumac tree, which has a pithy center. Scraping the bark off with stone tools and then burning the pith out was a focus of attention for a long time! Some children chose to hang their beads at their sit spots as well.
A few more highlights of the week: Mud, of course! Sliding down the “mud mountain of madness,” checking on sap buckets, barefoot stream dips, slipping on sheets of ice (intentionally), building a fort, traveling to interdimensional spaces, and last but not least, a story about the magical Zimperumpazoos!
—Julie, JJ, Molly, Raei, and the counselors
March 11, 2021
