|
Do you remember building forts as a child? Simple ones, like crocheted afghans draped over living room chairs and sofas? Or more complex ones, involving sticks, logs, and bark from the forest, precariously balanced to create a shelter? I remember building indoor forts from the chairs my mother had moved while she scrubbed the floors. And forts in the barn with dangerously dark tunnels snaking through straw bales. Fort building is the stuff of childhood. It's a universal activity that incorporates so many delicious things: imagination, cooperation, engineering, experimentation. Satisfaction, stamina, delight, magic. A feeling of safety and refuge. A quiet, secret space. A sense of adventure. Liberation, being yourself, trying on new roles, problem solving, negotiation, discovery. "Do you think we could live out here sometime?" one asked. "Definitely! This could be where we sleep, and we'd cook our food over there. We'd just need a tarp to keep the rain out." said another. "And some sleeping bags and flashlights. Just in case there are bears," another added. It's so important that our children have spaces where they can let their imaginations run wild. In our Nature Explorer group at Breithaupt Park, we have a lot of children who are interested in fort building, using materials they find on the forest floor. There is a fort that was started in our spring program, but that has largely been abandoned for new projects. It's becoming a fort village! Take a peek into our construction site!   We're looking forward to many adventures and construction times to come!
1 Comment
sarah
10/2/2015 11:52:08 am
Just lovely, as usual. And the good thing is that you don't have to contact the city to ask them to remove these shelters/artworks! Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Read on...Hammers, Huge Swings, and the Freedom to Play Archives
April 2020
|
RSS Feed
We love this land where we play and learn: the sun that warms us, the trees that give us shade, beauty and places to climb. The plants that give us food. The creatures who teach us about how to live in a good way. Thank you to the bugs and turtles, the great blue herons and the tadpoles. To the fairy shrimp, the tree swallows, the pond snails, the newts. To the Jack-in-the-pulpits, the trout lilies, the goldenrod, the asters - all of you are so beautiful and teach us so much. To the water, which is life - the ponds, creeks and the Grand River watershed.
We are honoured to walk, learn, and play on the traditional territories of the Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe, and Chonnonton Nations, treaty lands of the Haudenosaunee. Grateful for the ongoing care, stewardship, and teachings from Indigenous Peoples that help us walk gently on this earth. We are committed to the ongoing process of decolonization through partnering with local Indigenous educators in our facilitation, learning about the past and about good ways forward together, and respecting the land as our First Teacher.
We are honoured to walk, learn, and play on the traditional territories of the Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe, and Chonnonton Nations, treaty lands of the Haudenosaunee. Grateful for the ongoing care, stewardship, and teachings from Indigenous Peoples that help us walk gently on this earth. We are committed to the ongoing process of decolonization through partnering with local Indigenous educators in our facilitation, learning about the past and about good ways forward together, and respecting the land as our First Teacher.
