Bit of our winter fun

Well there wasn't much snow but when it was there the children really enjoyed playing and as a bonus with all the fast melting they were able to explore the concept of erosion up close.

Sorry for the delay in posting--we're just having so much fun!

We've been busy throughout winter & now spring--enjoying the forest. We have learned so much that as a group we've decided to share our stories in a more formal way. If you're interested in joining us or have any other educators who might be curious I'll provide the link to our event in May.

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/professional-development-sessionsharing-stories-of-our-forest-school-journey-tickets-22177136412?aff=ebrowse

Up close with a GoPro

We have been using a GoPro camera to capture the child's experiences 100% from their viewpoint. I must say I was totally shocked at how massive everything seems from their vantage point. It's also a really interesting way to document their conversations & experiences! I look forward to the next child's turn as the camera operator in the new year! Hopefully, there will be snow.

Where does the water go?

I thought this was a really interesting conversation from our trek out to the forest this week. We stopped in to have a look at the lake. Some of the children noted that the water levels were lower. Some prompting from the educator, helped them share some of their working theories on where the water went. I was myself pretty surprised at how low the lake level was--revealing the muddy bottom. I must admit even I didn't know much about the lake but since the children were curious so was I--so I looked it up. The lowering of the lake I would presume has something to do with the fact the lake was created as a reservoir for hydroelectric power generation. This is a great reminder of how the curiosity of children can help further all of our learning. 

Our Adventures

We have been very busy exploring, discovering and using our imaginations!

The students dove deep into creating small worlds, writing letters to fairies and having fairies and a gnome visit our classroom.

We have researched and learned more about our two class trees.

The students have demonstrated growth in slowing down to look closely and are able to sit for a longer period of time alone in nature in their Sit Spots.

We have also been making patterns with loose parts, cloud watching, looking for minibeasts under rocks, exploring seeds from sunflowers and other plants/trees and discovering different ways to use wood boards in our outdoor classroom.

The students have started to climb the small trees that we have in our outdoor classroom area. Some students were surprised that they were "allowed to climb trees." We also had two opportunities to jump in puddles, investigate puddles and make rivers in the mud. Some students were hesitant at first and worried that their parents would be upset that they were getting muddy. It was nice to see that all of the students are risk takers and enjoy the opportunity to go in the puddles and climb trees.

Over the past few years I have been surprised at how many of the girls in my class enjoy investigating and holding minibeasts. It almost seems that more girls and less boys have worms in their hands and get excited about finding minibeasts.

Place based pedagogies & learning from the land

Hi everyone,
Well the weather kept us out of the forest this week. But I thought I would post some ideas that were shared with me at the Nature Symposium I attended last weekend in Victoria BC. An Indigenous scholar from UBC (Dr. Michael Marker) shared some of the work of another Indigenous scholar from California -Dr. Leanne Hinton. Both of these scholars discuss the ways in which place (the land) has a story and an intimacy that can be shared with people. Michael also shared ideas and stories about the natural world teaching us. He also shared Leanne's song that she wrote that I think is quite marvellous. It might be a bit deep for 3-5 year olds but the message is clear--we are all but a small part of the microcosm of this world & certainly the refrain is a wonderful reminder of our role as people.

The Land Knows You're There

• (Leanne Hinton)       Refrain: For the land knows you're there
  

          And the land knows you're there

          And the rocks and trees and rivers

          Give you friendship and care

  
  I know some people who live in the north
  They've lived there since Columbus and many years before
  They live in the wilderness where few ever go
  But they say that in that land no one can be alone
  And every rock and tree has a name of its own
  You call out that you're coming as you journey through the land
  You never can be lonely, alone though you may seem
  For a tree is like a person and it keeps you company
  You give a happy greeting when you come to a spring
  As if it were a relative or a long-lost friend
  And when you've sat and rested and drunk your fill
  You give the spring a Thank you and a fond farewell
  When you come into a new land that you have never known
  You bend and touch the soil and you tell it why you've come
  You tell it where you're going, you tell it where you've been
  For they say that if you're kind to it the land will be your friend
  When a man is very old and his life is near its end
  He takes a final journey to say farewell to the land
  He tells it not to miss him and he tells it not to mourn
  But to learn to live without him when he is dead and gone
  This northern land is healthy, on love and care it thrives
  But back down in my home town, they forgot the land's alive
  They've polluted every river and they leveled every hill
  But underneath the concrete, the land is living still
  
  
  

My Visit

Over the weekend, I visited your forest! It was so peaceful and magical. I couldn't resist using the many long branches to build a fort! I left it up for you to explore. I hope that it will still be up and that you can find it when you return to the forest.