The Band must Play On…
This group of Forest Dreamers never cease to amaze Mrs. Stephanie and myself! They are continually on the move. In a society that alway entertains children, we sometimes hear “I’m bored” or “What can I do?”. Not with this bunch of children! Be it at the stream, the climbing tree, the Native American site….they are constantly in motion and thinking of new things to do!
We made our first trip to the stream this week and the children took the opportunity to explore! They tested their “winter” legs on the logs and rocks as they set off to discover the water. We found skunk cabbage, a “dinosaur” bone, and even a frog skin! Yes!! A FROG skin.
Finally, we made it to the Native American site which is quickly becoming a class favorite destination. The children jumped from the canoes, played in the structures, and investigated the nearby sap bucket. Just as we decided it was time to leave, one of our friends discovered an interesting sound being made by hitting a stump. The other children, having their interest peaked, ventured over. Before we knew it, they had their own stumps set up in a circle, playing and singing along What a fun day in Forest Dreamers!
My favorite day yet!
Earlier in the week, we noticed another class off in the woods connecting Irvine’s new and old properties. Intrigued by their antics, we asked the Forest Dreamers if they wanted to explore this new play area. Everyone was very excited with the possibilities of stream play and stump walking!
Since we were in a place that was completely new, the children had so many activities they could engage in! Some of our friends had a hard time eating snack today because they wanted to get right to playing! A pair of children practiced their balancing down the winding stream. Whenever our children try something new, we always try and walk them through what they are doing. We have a saying of “Know your Limits” and we encourage kids to try new things but to also understand some of the risks involved. Let’s just say we have some adventuresome children!
The dead tree was the main hit of the class! The rotted out stump was so big that several of our friends could fit inside. They were amazed with the holes made from beetles, ants, and other wood boring insects. At one point, the children were pulling back some of the rotten bark off to expose the soil starting to form from the decomposing tree. Image the excitement when several children found ICE still deep within the log.
Everyone was sad today that we had to head back to Irvine. The weather finally warmed up so we were able to shed jackets and snow pants. The water was so inviting that as we stopped for ANOTHER snack break, some children took to jumping into the muddy water…again. We will definitely be coming back to play here before the grasses get to high and the briars get to big!
