one spring week can wake up a whole forest . . . Last week, we wore snowsuits and winter boots. This week, we wore sun hats and running shoes. The snow had melted, puddles were dry, and the sun was shining. Take a look! Wake up, flowers! Wake up, trees! Wake up, forest! Wake up, bees! What spring things have you seen this week?
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Today marks exactly a year since we launched the kid/caregiver hikes that are now called Tales and Trails. Last year, at Breithaupt Park, it was a sunny, warm day - so warm that some children wore shorts. Today... a bit different. But the hardy folks who braved the unpredictable weather had a wonderful walk. We talked of spring flowers - snow drops - and seeds and bulbs and signs of spring around us.
On our hike, we saw some plants starting to grow, some trees that had fallen in winter storms, and found a great place to play: The Nest. Within minutes, The Nest became part nest / part pirate ship. The mast hoisted, cannon ready to fire... Off to the side, a comfy birds' nest was constructed from soft fall leaves. In another tree, potential for a fairy house. It's truly amazing what we can find in the woods! There was a bit of snow falling, and a bit of sun shining through. Oh spring, what a mixed up season you are! Is it spring? Winter? Both? Sprinter? Last Tales and Trails hike, there was no snow on the ground - only hidden Easter eggs! Today, there was a pile of snow. We went off the beaten path, along the pond, and into the woods. We found tracks in the snow, some pee, a mallard duck pair, some Canada geese. An extra special treat for me today: someone else took photos! These photos are generously offered by Stephen Edgar, a father on our walk today. Thank you!! This was a beautiful hike; I was reminded that the seasons are what we make of them. While in the morning, I was wishing for snowless spring, after our hike, I was thankful for the blanket of pure white snow, the crisp, cool air, and the birds on the pond. I went home feeling invigorated and refreshed. Always amazes me what a little walk through the woods can do.
I'll leave you with this hopeful sprinter/winter/spring poem: Winter Into Spring by Richard Lackman From March back through November landscapes draped in black and white As knife-like shadows in the forests pierced the dimming light And even mighty rivers disappeared under the strain Of crushing flows of ice after a night of freezing rain For now the only sounds that crackle out through winter's hush Are frozen pods of snow which to the ground from treetops rush Exploding on the forest floor as from a fearsome hoard Of Norsemen fighting wildly for their own wintry warlord And so it is that through the coldest season of the year We sequester deep within the halls that we hold dear Waiting for the sunrise and the promise it will bring That the stranglehold of winter will be broken by the spring Then finally it happens; ice flows melt and streams cascade Flowers bloom and fruit trees blossom while the pall of winter fades Black and white are all forgotten as a rainbow now appears And the cycle reinvigorates the passing of the years It was a magical day for our spring photo scavenger hunt on March 26 at Huron Natural Area. The ice from the past days of freezing rain was still on the trees, creating a beautiful scene. We had an amazing turn-out of spring detectives, ready with cameras in hand to explore the woods for signs of spring, Easter eggs, and those elusive Easter bunnies. We set to work, looking for evidence of spring. Look what we found! What transient beauty - that ice in the forest. The dripping and falling ice was a constant soundtrack to our scavenger hunt. Some more treasures that we found: Thanks to everyone who helped us explore the park that day! Hope your photos turned out wonderfully!
It was a beautiful morning for our Tales and Trails program today! Families arrived, and were invited to make a piece of pie or pizza using the materials on the carpet. Why are we making pie and pizza??? What does that have to do with nature? We gathered around to read The Tea Party in the Woods by Akiko Miyakoshi, a beautifully illustrated book. Here's a spread from partway through the book, where animals give a child a beautiful tray of their handmade pies, made with ingredients from the woods. See the pies that we made? Yum. After the story, we hit the trails - to gather supplies for our tea party in the woods! Baskets were filled with miniature pinecones, sticks, grasses, and snow.
Let the tea party begin! We had a great time on Saturday searching for things around the woods and ponds of Huron Natural Area! More than 70 people participated, cameras in hand, to capture photos of various winter items and activities. Such as: SNOWPERSON BUILDING! Each group was asked to make, and photograph, a snowperson. It was a bit tricky as the snow wasn't packing snow that day. But they did it! Some other tasks were: * lie in the woods for one whole minute -- what do you notice? * play at the new Huron Play Area - just finished in December! * make a snow angel It was amazing to hear what people saw when they were looking for items on their lists: mink tracks, rabbit tracks, raccoon tracks, a live little mole running through the forest, crows and geese flying overhead, and a raccoon way up in a tree! Incredible what you can find when you take the time to look. Guess what one of the hardest things on the list was.... a bird! Perhaps our big crew was too noisy. :) One sneaky thing that everyone had to find were these little upside-down snowmen. There were 10 of them hiding in the woods of Huron. Thanks to everyone who came out! It was a great time together in nature, breathing in the fresh air, and training our eyes to look for winter clues.
For those of you anxiously awaiting the next "world's top toy" post, here it is! Number 1 was STICKS. Number 2 was BOXES. Global toy #3 is STRING! Or string's bigger sibling: ROPE! There are many amazing things you can do with a pile of rope or string...
Whenever we pull out some rope in our forest school settings, it's fun to see what develops. Here are some examples: And how could I talk about rope without mentioning the art of knot-tying? Sounds kind of boy-scout-ish, but it can be a lot of fun once you give it a try. There are lots of resources that can help you perfect your knots. Animated Knots is one of my favourites. And this Ylvis video makes the trucker's hitch knot look seriously cool: For more inspiration, see:
Global Toy #1 was sticks. Piles of fun in a pile of sticks. Toy #2: brown paper packages, tied up with string... BOXES!!! A building material that is free and relatively easy to find... and can lead to endless creations - some indoors, others outdoors. Consider doing this for a Christmas gift: get a box - as big as you can find - and fill it with some extras, like scrap pieces of fabric, a set of markers, scissors, and some colourful duct tape - and see what happens. Here are some video resources for inspiration. First off, Caine's Arcade, an inspirational story about a movement that has inspired creativity and innovation. And the second one: Adventures of a Cardboard Box, a charming short film showing a boy who finds many uses for his beloved, big cardboard box. If you'd like to add an inspirational book to your gift-box, consider this one (same author as Not a Stick): Not a Box by Antoinette Portis. Some other inspiring ideas to consider: * colour in your box * a 73-box fort in the "box room" of the house And some visual inspiration: some daunting, some totally do-able: Happy cardboard creating!
Wondering what to get your child for Christmas? How about some sticks?
In a museum exhibit in London, England, 5 top toys were listed as most loved and used by our world's children. What are the world's 5 top toys? I'll let you in on that secret in 5 blog posts - but feel free to guess away! So, to start off: one of the world's top 5 toys: STICKS!
Sticks can come in various sizes, and can be found wherever there are trees. They can also be found in various colours. Look what we made with some dogwood and willow sticks at the Woodland Ornament event last evening:
If you'd like a book to add to your pile-of-sticks-present, I recommend:
Not a Stick by Antoinette Portis. Such a great, imaginative picture book that encourages children to think beyond the actual object. What many things could a stick be? A giant's toothpick? A leash for a dog? A hallway to a secret room?
Now, I'm not big on product promotion, but here's one exciting product that I discovered this past spring that led to many fun hours over the summer: stick-lets - bendable silicon pieces that help to connect sticks together. They were created by a woman in the US who wanted to encourage urban children to create memorable experiences in the outdoors - so that they ultimately have an appreciation and love for the natural world. -- exactly what we're trying to do here at Nature Connect! Her thesis was entitled "Natural Imagination: Reconnecting Children with Nature."
Here are some photos of my children and nephew enjoying stick-let building a fort out of willow sticks this past summer:
Here they are, quite happy in their willow home:
So much happened that day: negotiation, problem solving, using language, brainstorming, working with tools, creating together. Here's a short video of some of the conversation that happened around survival ideas (how to make something - a slingshot/arrow combo?? - that they could use to hunt deer... so that they could live in this fort full-time and still provide some kind of sustenance for themselves...).
So, to recap, wrapping up a bunch of sticks for Christmas will not feel like a lump of coal for your kids - especially if some other loose parts (rope, wire, stick-lets, etc.) are included. It may be a bit unconventional in terms of gifts, but give them some time to let their imaginations run wild... it's amazing what can come from sticks + imagination!
What a magical night for our lantern walk! Moon bright, stars shining, air crisp but not windy. SO beautiful to walk in the evening around the pond at Huron Natural Area. We hammered away at tin cans, creating beautiful light-up-the-night lanterns. So many cultures have festivals and holidays around the theme of light. We learned a song from Germany that children sing at St Martin's Day parades, where they carry lanterns around the town while singing. It's an adaptation of the German song "Laterne." Here are the words we used: My lantern, my lantern, Sun and moon and stars, I'll shine my light, I'll shine my light, Throughout the darkest night. Such a great way to welcome these longer, cooler days... creating, singing, walking together past stars shining on still water, and shining our lights.
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Read on...Hammers, Huge Swings, and the Freedom to Play Archives
April 2020
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