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!
After wishes of snow on Tuesday, nature delivered a beautiful dusting on Wednesday. Now, how many schools actually encourage you to bring your sled to school? We were grateful for the extra sleds and found a thrilling new hill. The children enjoyed trudging up the hill over and over again and each time were rewarded with an exhilarating ride! We also paid a visit to Grandmother Maple; some greeted her with snowballs, while others wrapped their arms around her enormous trunk to give a hug.
Later in the week we had a tracking adventure. We used our observation skills to find one of our counselors, who had hidden herself in the forest. Each child had a chance to locate her tracks and lead the group on her trail. When we found her, we were given a pot to collect white pine needles, which we brought back to camp and brewed into a delicious tea. It was a perfect way to warm up on a chilly day!
—JJ, Julie, Raei, and the counselors
January 22, 2021