By Carrie Komesch, Educator
Students are back in school now, both in the city and the forest. My first week was filled with wonder and exploration, as the students who will be with us all session began the process of building relationships with the space, with the educators, and with each other.
We have separate programs for preschoolers and school-aged children happening right now, and in both age groups we have a mix of students who were with us last year, students who were with us over the summer, and students who are completely new to our forest school! It’s wonderful to see the familiarity with which the returning children interact with the space and with each other, and to observe how this comfort level can draw new or hesitant students into their play.
One group consists of sixteen students ranging in age from four to ten, all of whom were keen to go hiking first thing in the morning on their first day. We packed ample provisions, and instead of stopping at the Rocky Mossy Place, we ventured a bit further and made our home base in a clearing next to a pond and a giant pile of rocks.
Some students immersed themselves in excavating rocks from the pile, while another subset threw rocks into the water.
At other times, students scooped water into metal buckets and woven baskets.
And of course, we did a lot of frog watching.
It has been a wonderful transition into fall programming here in the forest!