Forest Explorers

A few highlights from a muddy week full of fun! Our CITs have been running game shows like Forest Feud and today's forest version of Shark Tank (Fox Den), where kids pitched Marketplace ideas and earned quartz investments from a savvy group of Foxes. The Woodland Roundabouts have been performing skits based on true stories from our Forest Explorers Lore Book. Tomorrow there will be a carnival, with games like the very popular Board Knocker (throw a small rock at a board propped up by a piece of wood), earning quartz prizes.

We love helping local schools include nature education on STEM day! In addition to a short walk looking for signs of wild neighbors, we brought a whole deer skeleton. This was a favorite thank you note.

Fun with yucca: after soaking and scraping the leaves, the Explorers made cordage. Then they whittled, chopped, pounded and massaged the roots in water to make sudsy soap!

In the spring sunlight we are finding treasures from shiny mica to flowers and tasty foraged treats. Everything changes so quickly in spring and our eyes are open to it all!

We found an almost complete deer skeleton! Several groups searched for bones then reassembled the skeleton using illustrations, a bone field guide and expert guidance from Amelia! So much learning.

We’re celebrating love and kindness this week. The children were very motivated to place a kindness rock on every single step into the ravine. It’s been a hard few weeks and they feel it.

Temps in the teens? Bundle, move, make fire and tea! It’s not too cold to have fun outdoors.

All children should get to experience nature in the dark. The Explorers love shadow stories and games!

What fills my heart? When kids at closing circle say that their favorite thing was finding so many different kinds of mushrooms. "I didn't even know there were that many different kinds!" And this doesn't show the giant puffballs they carried home.

The spotted lantern flies are in our woods. The Explorers quickly learned to identify Tree of Heaven and catch and quick kill them. They are a highly invasive species that damages trees and crops. Also beautiful! I’m thinking about art projects…

Can’t wait to wow the Forest Explorers with these beauties (and more) for the start of Mushroom Month!