Week 3

'The big brown bear,
the big brown bear,
is sleeping in her cave...
The big brown bear,
the big brown bear,
is sleeping in her cave...
Please be very quiet (shhhh...)
Very, very quiet.
If you wake her,
If you shake her,
she'll get very mad!
ROAR....!!!!' 

Hello Nature School families! The weeks are flying by and we've been gifted with some beautiful weather. A gift as the kids adjust to being in the forest for the morning, waving goodbye to parents, learning to carry their own packs, keep track of their belongings, grow as a community of friends and mentors....before we know it, we'll be adjusting to winter gear, learning how to keep warm in the cold and exploring the a frosty forest...

Laurel Ewashen came to visit us on Tuesday, bringing her friend Raven, and a story about how our forest is like a garden. The children sure had a lot of conversation to add to Laurel's story. We love our enthusiastic bunch!! As she was leaving, we could hear Raven's cousins, the crows, calling out...

Last week was about construction--this week, deconstruction and transformation.  It's easy to get stuck on adult ideas about right and wrong--I felt uncertain and a little sad as our first lean-to shelter was 'deconstructed' with great enthusiasm, and had a good 'a-ha' moment as it was transformed into a 'wood shop,'  a campfire, a dinosaur hideout...Lo and behold, no one was upset (one of my worries) to see the shelter dismantled.

Lean-to turned 'wood shed'

Thank you to Mr.Mitchell's Gr.6 class for being good sports, great mentors and role models for our young ones. The 20 'big kids' came down for a scavenger hunt, and armed with buckets, magnifying glasses and a list of things to find ('something shiny, something rough, something from an animal, a letter of the alphabet....) Small groups of big/little kids headed off into the forest, good vibes all around as there was very little shyness/hesitation from the Nature School kids. My heart was warmed to hear snippets of conversation ('Which cones do you like--should we take these or these?' and 'Can you help me pick some of these leaves?') Everyone shared their treasures at the end....Here's to more multi-generational learning/sharing with the Canyon School kids! I hope I didn't mortify them by asking them to be acorns... ) 

(make yourself small and round on the ground)

'I'm an acorn small and round,
laying on the cold, cold ground.
People always step on me,
That's why I have cracks, you see.
(Jump up and crack open!)
I'm a nut (rap on head). I'm a nut (rap on head. I'm a nut, I"m a nut, I'm a nut.

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Scavenger hunt

Also this week, scary dinosaurs could be found roaming our forest. Kids started to help-- pulling the wagons across the field, with great energy and determination, and setting out mugs for tea. Bugs were spotted crawling on the tipi, enjoying the warm sun, and examined closely. Kids enjoyed looking at the animals in our new field guide, sparking all kinds of conversation.

Helping

Setting out mugs for tea

Bugs galore!

​Here are some questions that might provide some sparks for your children about their week: 
What is Raven's name? (The Ktunaxa word for Raven...)
What kind of white berries does our group love to collect?
Can you sing the bear song?
What kind of treasures did you collect with the 'big kids' ? 

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If you haven't seen 'I Love Creston' this month, we're featured!