I’m a wild one now, made of wind and rain. Wild after one week of total immersion in the wonder of nature. Trek along on our winding adventures through trees, water, earth, and so many living things in a celebration of summer in wild spaces around the farm.
Day One - Trees
Trees are the gift of life and your child now has their own tree friend for life. What is their name, leaf shape, bark pattern and unique place they stand beside neighbours? The rewilding of children begins with opening senses to the natural world and evolving into tree protectors in a fun roleplay.
Day Two - Water
Water is another gift of life. We turned ourselves into baby snapping turtles waiting in sand for the warmth of the sun to emerge and rush towards a nearby pond or stream. Who might be the predators we meet or dangers that might end our first journey. So many other creatures live here in and around the water. Can you name the six from our scavenger hunt? Look in your nature journal for clues. Soon we were knee deep at Crayfish Catch on the hunt for the real thing! Water is also just for fun. Check out the playful ways we kept cool and worked as a team on Water Day!
Day Three - Animals
Animals are a big part of life on the farm. What animals did we get to connect with? Did we choose some fun names for the animals Brenna brought to visit? Grooming the ponies and mucking stalls are part of our care responsibility for animals. Find out what your child enjoyed about working in the barn. Did you actually paint a pony, and was there a horsey wedding today? What about the wild animals that live here? Ask about white-tailed deer and their new baby fawns. Where does fawn hide and who are their predators. When you became a fox, how many baby fawns did you find? Who was stalking you? What might it feel like to be a new born fawn alone in the tall grass? Deer are known for their keen sense of hearing. What did you add to your sound map using your deer ears at sit spot time?
Day Four - Earth
Earth comes in many forms; garden soil, clay in a river bank, mud under boots, or sand on the beach. We got up close with animals who make their home in the earth and learned how to make fantastic creations with earth. Ask about the habits of worms; why are worms important, what helps them squirm and how do they fertilize the garden? Who might be on the lookout for a tasty worm? We found one really long worm and measured it. How long was it? Using our hands to create with mud is fun and filled with possibilities. What did your child make with mud and clay? We even made a catapult to fling mud!
Day Five - Summer Celebration
Summer time is ripe with berries, full of bird song and flowing water. Our hike out to the Backwoods Circle used nature riddles to tickle the imagination about what lives along these trails. Which animals and trees did we figure out from the clues? (raccoon, worm, deer, monarch, white pine, skunk).
The Backwoods is an awesome place to sail handmade boats and construct fairy houses. Chat about wander time adventures that were important to your child. Back at the farm we celebrated summer with LOADS of creating. See if your child’s solar cooker melted a tasty treat and check out the latest recyclable sandal fashions. Ask some questions about how their cooker works and what foods can be dehydrated or melted inside this simple pizza box. Thank you to Beaver for canvassing her local pizza joints for boxes and preparing all the pieces so everyone was successful! Our goodbyes also included time connecting with the ponies and making memory rocks to leave at our trees friends. We are hopeful that others will follow in our footsteps and find this happy reminder that we were here.
We celebrated a birthday at nature camp today. Happy birthday to Cicada who turns 7 today, and thank you to her mom for making such a yummy treat for all of us!
Coyote Nature School can only give children this experience through a community of helping hands. We loved having Mustang our student helper here for the whole week. She pitched in everyday to make sure we were all set to go, showed caring and supported all the kids in so many ways. Mustang was a real foundation for us! We were so lucky to have Falcon another student helper for three days of fun and laughter. Raccoon captured all the photos so you can share with your child, and he keeps everyone flowing in the right direction. When you meet a Master Teacher, you just know! Beaver brought her brilliant teaching magic along for our final two days and added so much to the menu of learning for this week. I am so grateful to everyone for making memories that will last. We may feel like this right now, but we will soon bounce back and happily carry the memory of this special time with your children.
Happy Trails until next time Forest Friends,
Coyote, Mustang, Raccoon, Beaver & Falcon