Through The Woods We Go!

We kicked off the day with marching steps across the farm, tackling chores, building fires, and crafting shelters along the way.

As we were arriving to school, we were visited by a downy woodpecker today. I think that filling up our bird feeders is paying off.

Chores went really smoothly today even with fewer hands. Can you explain what you know about...

1. The right tool for the right job.

2. Work smarter NOT harder.

Tell someone at home how you put these ideas to work during chores.

The moment when an anxious animal connects with you is really special. Remember the feeling? Can you describe it in words? Sunflower made that trusting connection today with Duffy.

Do you recall our first days with the ducks and how anxious they were around us? Now the duck gang comes running when Acorn sounds his wood whistle : ).

We were down a few of our fellow Homesteaders today. Wishing Snail and Frog a speedy recovery. Damselfly worried about her chore buddy, Acorn doing it all on his own while she was off at her ringette tournament. Sending our caring to Hummingbird as she takes on a HUGE challenge in the role of young Anna in the theatre production of Frozen. We missed you all!! 

During our wander, a couple of people worked on learning some new knots, do you remember the names of some that you were practicing? (Figure 8, Trailer hitch and Bowline) Knots are handy to know while camping... knot so much for catching Deer!

What a wonderful song you created today! I have a good feeling this will be playing in our heads all week.

Good catch by Blue Racer who noticed some tracks in the snow while we were at outpost! Think of some ideas of what these tracks could be and let a friend know next time we are at nature school.

While planning our shelter at Outpost, Deer and Owl created a model with pine and balsam to help us imagine the finished product. Share your ideas about what we could still add to our Outpost shelter to make it more comfortable for us during the winter.

Adding boughs and tying down a larger tarp will help our structure be more secure and warm in the coming months. Why did we have to re-do our tarp with boughs on top instead of underneath? Do you think this change will improve the comfort of our shelter? why?

Next step, sanding new benches. Tell someone at home why sanding is an important step. (So we don't get splinters while sitting) While we were working, we reviewed what grit of sandpaper means, do you remember? (Lower is more coarse, Higher is smoother)

Antman showed us how to operate a new fire starting tool. Do you remember what it was called? (Bow Drill) This can be a trick way to start a fire but with the help of an actual drill we sped up the process. Of course, its not a true fire until we make s'mores over it.

After our snack, Hawk guided us on a meditation to focus our energy and brainstorm about what a perfect campsite would include for us to write about. Share some ideas of what you added to your campsite. What does a campsite need to have to help you live there for a long period of time. Keep on dreaming of wild places until we meet again next week!