By Sonja Lukassen, Lead Educator
A guest this week said that she has lived in this country for 9 years but not until being in the forest with us did she truly feel like she was experiencing Canada.
We spoke of the differences between life in a busy city and having time and access to real wintery, snowy play spaces. I challenged her to dress for the weather in the city too (to trade in those fancy boots for her big, insulated ones) and to find a park. I expect the play she will find there will be quite similar to what we’ve had going on at Forest School these past few days.
Snowshoeing:
Rolling down hills:
Creating villages for mice and fairies:
Digging up the ice and discovering frozen treasures:
Staring into the fire, melting snowballs and ice chunks:
Creating snowy forest artwork:
Contemplating (and tasting) snowflakes:
I feel like living in Canada, wherever one does, and being a part of life in that community, large or small, urban or rural, mostly indoors or mostly out, is a truly Canadian experience. We are vast and diverse and we all form the experience that is being truly Canadian.
Embracing winter and diving into it- making the most of it and loving it rather than just tolerating it? Now that is a way of being that our guest had little experience with. She was thrilled to see the children at Forest School rolling around, wandering, playing and laughing in the snow. She was inspired.
She is also an educator in a big Canadian city. I wonder how soon she will be rolling and laughing in the snow with her students? I expect it will be quite soon. Having fun in the winter is contagious.