After School: Week Ten - Deer Bounding & Closing Celebration
Today was a gorgeous day for our last fall program. Ms. Kathryn joined us, who will be taking over the program during Ms. Britt's maternity leave in the spring. The kids were excited to meet her, and wanted to start the day off showing her the teepee shelter in the pine forest they have worked so hard on this semester. Next, they led the way to the sand pit, and we played a few rounds of "Wildlife is Watching" along the way. Finally, we had a "Deer Bounding Challenge" which w
Herons: Week 8 - Basket Twining and Capture the Flag
Today was a glorious winter day that we started with a "Deer Bounding Challenge" which was lots of fun for all. To play this game, we start with just one backpack that everyone takes turns leaping over, and continue to add more backpacks after each round, making the pile higher and higher, and sometimes longer too. For the rest of the morning we had lots of different activities going on for our friends to choose from. Some chose to learn how to basket twine with Ms. Britt, an
Tadpoles: Week Eight- Tea and Forest Webs
BRRRRRrrrr! We had our first day that really felt like December! With temperatures in the 30s we had a merry blaze in the fire pan all morning. After our fingers warmed up, we experimented with string and knots when we made this forest web. The Tadpoles had so much fun playing Meet-a-tree. This game challenges the preschoolers to use their sense other than sight to find a tree they have been led to, while blindfolded. After they feel comfortable with their tree, they are led
Gray Squirrels: Week Eight - Macrame and Tinder Bundles
What a gorgeous day in the woods! The morning started out brisk, but warmed up to a fun afternoon with crafts, fire and testing our edges with a challenge called "Meet a Tree". Participants are led to a tree blindfolded. After they have some time to get to know their tree, they are led back to camp. They remove the blindfold and then have to go back and find their specific tree! Some thought it was so much fun, they wanted to try again after finding their first tree! Ms. Brit
After School: Week Nine - Fox Tails & Clay
Today was quite rainy and bit on the chilly side, but our brave participants came prepared with extra layers and rain gear, so the weather didn't slow us down! After wandering to the Sand Pit we got our blood moving with a game of "Fox Tails" - which involved lots of running, so this warmed us up quick! We spent the rest of our afternoon making all kinds of creations with locally harvested clay from Old Winter Park, experimenting with different objects as tools, and making le
Herons: Week Seven - Tarp Shelters, Games & Wood Carving
Today was rainy and on the chilly side, but that didn't slow us down. Everyone was prepared with extra layers and rain gear, and we warmed up quickly with several rounds of "Fire in the Forest" to get our blood moving. We also put up tarp shelters for rain protection, and started a friction fire for extra warmth. While some of us continued to play games, others worked on primitive crafts around the fire: basket twining and wood carving. We learned how to use knives safely, an
Herons: Week Six - Nutty Squirrels, Clan Forts and MudFights
What a beautiful Fall Day! There were so many leaves falling that it it sounded like the trees making music all day. We had lots of fun with blindfolds today playing "Blindfold Caterpillar" and "Nutty Squirrels" - both games that challenged us to use our other senses, and to trust our friends in place of our own eyes. Before lunch we split into our clans and wandered to our secret spots to work on forts, explore the area, and play another blindfold game, "Meet a Tree" After l
Tadpoles: Week Seven - Mud, Mushrooms and Acorns!
The woods are such a fascinating place in the rain! The sounds were different, the colors were different and there was so much mud to play in! Our rain gear kept us dry and warm while we explored and created. On our way to the swamp, we noticed that there were so many different kinds of mushrooms! Why are they coming up this time of year? Has someone been eating them? Crossing the log bridge in the swamp. There was so much mud! The rain cleared up and Ember still had pockets
Gray Squirrels: Week Seven - Clay Creations and Wildlife
What a beautiful, warm, overcast fall day! We took full advantage of the weather with pond explorations, making clay creations and meeting some fun animal allies! Clay mud makes great facepaint! Plant Concentration game helps us learn how to look at the details of all the plants around us. Participants get 15 seconds to look at the design Ms. Britt created and then can work by themselves or with a partner to re-create it on their own. There are so many leaves that look simila
Tadpoles: Week Six - Fallings Leaves and Climbing Trees
What a beautiful day! The yellow leaves falling made a beautiful sound and the trees are full of color. We had a fun day with lots of free playing and exploring what our bodies are capable of! We first stopped by our favorite sandhill and realized that it was the perfect spot to try and catch leaves! After snack, we went on an exploration and found a cool sand bank with lots of roots that made it easy to climb! On the other side of the sandbank was another cool climbing spot
