What a beautiful day to be out in Nature! After gathering for Opening Circle, we greeted each other and sent out our greetings to our relatives—the other living beings that inhabit this world with us. We acknowledged our ties to the world and our oneness with each other and with our “relatives.”
The younger group, the River Otters, kicked off the day with a field game and headed up to camp to build a lean-to. We hauled logs, raked up camp, used the forest needles and leaves to cover it (to keep out the rain) and even disassembled an old shelter, carrying large slabs of bark to cover our new home.
We had a visitor today. “Honeybee” aka Cammy, our dear Operations Manager, showed up to share a sweet gift from her beehive—honey that was a perfect addition to our tea that we made from the gifts of the trees, namely Hemlock, Spruce, and White Pine. She told a story and we told her some stories and we enjoyed a nice lunchtime with her. The tea was delicious! It’s packed full of vitamin C and good for colds and coughs!
The Fishers (the older group) had their own fun today. They kicked off the day with a big game of Hive Wars, a Capture the Flag game based on the natural history of Honeybees, invented by very own Alana and her sister, Fiona! After a whirlwind game of battling hives, they descended upon their elaborate “Village,” a complex arrangement of homemade shelters, trading, and currency. From what I hear, it’s their favorite part of the day, creating their own little world in the woods! They drilled through stones, etched design into them and created string from natural materials for necklaces as well.
We met back up at the end of the day and shared stories, grounded ourselves in the beauty of nature, gave thanks, and said goodbye.
—Josh and the FOREST Staff, November 4, 2020