February/March 2024 Newsletter

February and March have seen us go on daily hikes to Lickinghole Creek. Usually we take the neighborhood route, where we practice walking safely together on sidewalks, saying hi to friendly neighbors, and crossing the street. We also save a few worms along the way, and always notice the differences between the neighborhood and the forest, in terms of temperature, animals, and plants. It’s always interesting to see how the kids can already grasp these differences.

Our hikes have been the greatest source of learning as we find new areas to explore and navigate, discover animal tracks and scat left behind, notice different plants and trees, inspect seeds (we love exploding Sycamore seed pods!), and so much more. Every day we make our journey to Lickinghole, and it always feels like a great adventure leaving the school premise.

Often times, I have marveled at the kids’ comfort level in nature. I’ll see a kid laying down in the middle of the trail, or by the creek. The child and the natural elements have become one. The kids have been in nature so many times, that there is absolutely no level of discomfort or fear. There’s a sense of fearlessness, an ability to assess risk, and be amazingly creative with objects they find. There’s also that never-ending sense of awe and wonder every day they are out there. These experiences really lay the foundation for a lifelong love of learning, as well as a connection to nature that will lead to more informed decisions as an adult. Every day out there with the kids feels like an incredible honor. To witness this level of growth, excitement, and learning is truly a remarkable experience.

Animal Tracks

The kids have really been enjoying finding animal tracks along the way. They are becoming so well-versed in tracking, that often times they’ll notice a track and immediately mention what animal it was, with a confident, “no big deal” tone – “Animal track! It's a racoon.”

I love that this type of learning is becoming so organic, that they don’t have to think twice about what they are seeing. I also love that their eyes and ears are being trained to notice so many details in nature. Nature can be a green wall for a lot of us, but for these forest school learners, nature is an inviting place, full of magic and wonders, and unique details that tell them a story.

Nature awareness and respect

We have been talking a lot about moving through nature in a way that is respectful and not destructive to the environment and habitats. Sometimes, we’ve picked up rocks only to find a salamander living under them. We splashed on muddy banks of the creek, only to realize there were frog homes nearby. We’ve ran across large puddles, not realizing these are vernal pools that salamanders lay their eggs in. We’ve removed bark from a tree, only to realize there were insects hibernating under them, as well as insect eggs laid to hatch later in the spring. Pointing out these aspects has increased the children’s awareness of the forest as a home to countless species, and our responsibility to leave things untouched as much as possible, while also having an amazing time.

Indoor Play

Our indoor play space has become a lot more focused and calm since I started bringing more toys out into the living room. We went through a long period of really enjoying playing with Legos, building all sorts of vehicles and other objects from these pieces. These toys have been an invitation for calm, cooperative, imaginative play. I will continue to look for ways to invite this kind of play indoors. The kids have also enjoyed exploring three-dimensional art projects, with glue, popsicle sticks and any other crafting material available.