Oh, the gems I overhear between children! The overlap of absolutely lovely manners with the texture and images of a slug, not to mention how bizarre this request would be in nearly any other context, just cracked me up!
Some people collect interesting rocks. Others collect slugs. To each his/her own!
More than meets the eye.
Using our pocket microscope and cell phone a few of the kids got to see these glimpses into a world beyond our vision capabilities. From left to right: decomposing wood, the underside of a leaf, the top side of the same leaf.
Leaf Learning
Each explorer received a different kind of tree leaf (or needles). We noticed the shapes, textures, colors, and patterns of each leaf. Then we used them for our greeting; the kids had to find the person with the matching leaf and then go look for a tree nearby that has the same kind of leaves. We used oak, maple, wild cherry, white pine, red pine, and beech tree leaves/needles and I explained that one reason leafy trees drop their leaves before winter is so the snow doesn’t weigh them down and break their branches.
Wildlife, Teamwork, and STEAM work
A dead cicada to add to my nature treasure box. Now I can show the life cycle of the cicada.This lovely spider web makes a silky roof for a possible animal den beneath a tree. Thank you to spiders for making it so we can play outside without being inundated by bugs!Thinking from the point of view of a tiny creature as we built an animal home. Developing empathy takes practice.Whoooo might live in this hole?These girls are all about teamwork and engineering!An opossum track in the mud by the creek. Thank you, ‘possums, for eating thousands of ticks every summer!Bird tracks along with raccoon, deer, and opossum tracks show us what wildlife is nearby and reminds us that where there is water, there is life!A deer hip bone?Raccoons wash their food in the creek.If you listen in as they build, you hear STEAM talk! They decide where to build, what kinds of animals might live here, how to keep the walls from collapsing, ways animals might get in and out, and what makes it look nice. Best of all, no one had to tell them to do this. They got the idea from an Exploration and Conversation card I made, and it caught their interest. Each time it fell or failed to live up to t heir expectations, they tried again until they were ready to do something else.
Never Bored
Notice the huge variety of activities they choose. Nature play and play-based learning are naturally differentiated. As long as they understand that we expect them to listen to themselves and only do what they feel comfortable (enough) doing, they will take risks and seek out learning that is developmentally just-right for them as individuals!
They use their whole bodies to navigate the creek. Learning to use the pocket microscope.She decided this tree needed bandaids where it had sap oozing out. Leaf bandaids are the solution!The Meeting Log is classroom seating.Turkey Tail mushrooms!He created this beautiful loft “nest” carefully wedged between tree trunks of a split tree. He explained how it evolved as he worked on it.I love that they can choose to work independently or with others. There are no walls or clusters of desks to force collaboration when it is not wanted.Imagining being a little animal all cozied up inside a tree.
Physical Education is not the same thing as Sports.
These days (in the privileged world) most kids who want to learn a sport will do so with or without P.E. class, but most kids do not have regular access to unstructured, independent, child-led but teacher-guided, nature play or nature study. If we bring children to a wild space we have only to teach them a few safety practices and then get out of the way because they will seek out activities that build strength, balance, coordination, flexibility, turn-taking, collaboration, spatial awareness, aim, body awareness, and body confidence. They learn to listen to and trust their bodies. Just look.
Aim and jump from just high enough to take a little risk. Children will repeat these kinds of challenges until they master them and then move on to the next level.No branches? No problem. At this age the girls are stronger than the boys and they could climb higher!After watching how one of the other kids did it, he decides to try. Think about all of the muscles and coordination this takes!Where there is a way, there is a will!Too many well-meaning adults get scared and prevent children from taking risks, even when they are ready to take them. Using hands, knees, and feet to coordinate climbing while enjoying the scents of green leaves, fresh water, and rich, muddy, soil while the sun dapples us from above.Climbing is an exciting challenge!Figuring out how to walk through sticky muck without falling takes effort and concentration.Balancing while also being aware of people nearby.
We Never Want it to End. Classroom Programs this Year?
What do you know now (about nature or yourself) that you did not know before Woods and Wetlands?Seed sketching.Some of the kids loved sharing their journal entries.Our last meeting of the summer.As a parting gift I gave everyone 3 nature treasures in the form of 3 differently fascinating tree seeds.15 is the perfect class size.
Woods and Wetlands All Year Round
Woods and Wetlands programs for classrooms are wonderful class gifts from parents and caregivers to your child’s teacher. If the school has a wild space nearby we will use it. If not, they only have to come up with funding for busing to a local place such as Luton Park or a West Michigan Land Conservancy location. I also offer private programs for small groups of children such as those who are home schooled or students who are attending virtual school during the ongoing pandemic.
Our new group includes 9 explorers from last year’s Woods and Wetlands summer adventures. Add to that a wide developmental range and we have a hodge-podge of personalities, abilities, and experience! Compared to our last two groups this one got off to what felt like an awkward start, at least for the teachers. But after four mornings together, we have settled in nicely. It’s fun to watch the kids with prior experience because they are more independent, confident, and they are able to deepen and broaden their explorations. Nature-play and Play-Based Learning naturally lend themselves to scaffolding as children instinctively challenge themselves at that “just right” level at which they take appropriate risks and set themselves to learning and growing by pursuing their own interests. We offer support in the form of thinking questions and encouragement, stepping back when possible and stepping in when needed.
Social Skills
Taking turnsGreeting with names, eye contact, and physically passing a relevant nature object.Learning by watching others.Waiting for a turn.Using Michigan wildlife finger puppets for our greeting..Laughter builds social bonds.Kids need to have opportunities to be silly while learning.Mr. Porcupine took charge for our greeting.Pretending to be someone or something different builds empathy.Giggling + eye contact.Building a fort takes teamwork.Arms up while we pass by some nettles. Kids are also holding branches for each other and watching out for one another.Connecting with oneself can help us be better, more mindful friends to ourselves and each other.“Hiding” behind a different persona than their own gives young children a chance to “try on” and identify with those who are different from us.Learning we can also just be silent with a friend sometimes.
Do-Overs
Childhood is the best time to learn from mistakes. One of our new explorers had a rough start, socially speaking. Some poor choices were made. But we don’t use loss of participating as a consequence. Instead we try to always offer chances for “do-overs,” in conjunction with giving children specific words and strategies they need for round 2. How else can we learn unless we get to try again?
Patterns and Treasures
I usually introduce a theme of sorts during Morning Meeting. Sometimes I plan it but often the kids’ energy and/or interests prompt me to modify it on the spot. Teaching and earning without blocking the natural flow always works better for me and for the kids. During our first week we introduced Nature Treasures and Patterns in Nature. These two “lessons” are intertwined and next week we will blend them in with learning about different trees based on leaf recognition.
Some treasures are only kept long enough to observe before releasing.Our Nature Treasure Museum is growing. Noticing leaf patterns led to trying out leaf rubbings.We asked the kids to try drawing at least one of the 8 nature patterns I introduced.Most of our explorers drew more than one of the patterns.Two great books for introducing fractals (patterns) are Spin Flow Grow and Nothing to Do.Looking at a picture or an actual subject makes drawing it much easier.Tree bark is patterned too. Hugging “Mama Oak.” Thank you to trees for their cool shade and air-making!Mushrooms have interesting patterns.Introducing Nature Treasures.We intentionally teach them how to handle fragile things carefully. This builds trust both ways.Letter Y treasure was added to our museum.Beetles make what looks like a secret language on logs.Animal tracks are patterns too.Ordinary beetle by day, magical fairy lantern by night.This little guy knows a LOT about nature and is an intrepid explorer! (The child, not the toad.)Translation: “Baby deer jaw.” (found in the woods)Two damselflies alighted on his arm.Being gentle with wildlife is a good sign for the adult he will become one day.Some mushrooms have gills, others have pores.They discovered clay rocks which led to painting.Fancy fungi!This lovely girl made a beautiful web to trap our least favorite bugs.Finding treasure on the bottom of the creek.Experimenting with ways to harmlessly affect the world around us.Clay painting.Galls on a leaf.A wildflower called “Indian Pipe,” is unable to make its own food, but is not a fungi. Snail shells have the spiral pattern.We broke open this oak gall to find out what was inside.Great Blue Heron tracks?No one is ever bored when I bring out the treasure box!
Sensory Experiences
Exploring in nature during Woods and Wetlands is a full, sensory experience. Children learn best by using their bodies. “Move to learn and learn to move.”
Mud gloves for safe handling of small creatures.They worked really hard to get this dead tree trunk detached.Purposeful? Maybe not, but much was learned in the process! Looking up into the branching patterns against a blue sky. Noticing our breath. Getting in touch with our own bodies.There’s nothing like a cold river on a hot day.Measuring and estimating water depth. “Ms. T, why is the water not as high up on you?” (Informal math discussion followed.)Noticing places where the water is warmer or cooler. Wondering and hypothesizing. Brain Gym: Criss CrossThough the neighbor cut down most of our Logjam Bridge, we didn’t let that stop us. This group is more careful about getting their boots stuck in the muck.I teach stick usage and safety so I can trust everyone with sticks. Offering trust helps children learn to be trustworthy.I like to draw attention to noticing the scents when we enter the woods. Humans forget to use their sniffers as much as we could.A “dead” log is full of more life than a living tree!The texture of rich, dark, muddy soil is a novelty for most kids. It is easy to rinse right off in the river.High five!Slugs are fascinating. Doctors have worked to replicate slug slime to use in places of internal stitches for surgery.Resisting the current or allowing it to push them helps develop their vestibular systems.Sniffing the skunk cabbage.There is much to see and learn when we get close to the earth.Some of us enjoy nature quietly.We make time for either journaling or investigating at our own Sit Spots.Only do what you feel safe doing. Find your way across in the way that works for you.Feeling the surface of the water without immersing our hands.Coordination and strength building. finding our balance.Brain Gym helps both of our brain hemispheres to work together and can shift us into using our prefrontal cortex which calms us and makes reasoning possible.Half the group went adventuring with me along the river’s edge where we encountered a fallen, but still living and strong, maple tree. Some were experienced climbers while others were a little scared but still ready to try to navigate horizontal tree climbing.She has grown so much since last summer! Brave explorer!
T.
P.S. Mini-rant: I so wish that nature play and play based learning were woven into school curriculums at every level. Teachers need to be trained so that they can feel safe and comfortable taking their kids out into the wild. Time to do so ought to be guaranteed and protected as a necessary part of the school day or week. Funding programs like Woods and Wetlands throughout the school year would make such a positive impact on the mental, physical, social, emotional, and academic health of every student AND their teachers! Yet schools are, instead, adding MORE testing and MORE curriculum, while cutting back on recess and continuing outdated models of schooling that clearly are not working for the majority of children. The scientific evidence demonstrating what works is being largely ignored by those who control the curriculums, testing regimes, and school day structure in this country.
The last day is always hard. None of us want to say goodbye! I am hoping that I can continue bringing Woods and Wetlands to local schools this fall, so I plan to reach out to as many educators as possible to get these programs scheduled. One of my dreams would be to offer repeat programs for the same classes in the same, wild, space throughout a school year, whether once a month or even 4 times a (school) year. Imagine the kids getting to bond with a natural area that they can access whenever their adults can get them there, where they would benefit from seeing nature change throughout the seasons! School curriculum would be supported as we learn naturally about local plants, animals, fungi, geology, history, and geography. Woods and Wetlands programs support physical education related to strength, balance, coordination, teamwork, spatial awareness, and self-confidence. The arts can be woven into repeat programs as well. Nature-play and play-based learning offers health and wellness to all of us, even those who don’t enjoy the outdoors. We become more resilient to the stresses of life and better able to heal and grow our spirits when the world gets to be too much.
On the last day I give everyone 3 little nature treasures along with getting to keep their journals and colored pencils. This year the 3 treasures are types of beautiful tree seeds: sweet gum tree, hemlock tree, horse chestnut tree. The seeds from the sweet gum and the hemlock not only connect with our ongoing tree-lessons, but also with the nature patterns we learned about and drew in our journals. The horse chestnut seed feels smooth and pleasant in our hands. We talked about some of the many ways trees spread their seeds around. Learning how to use dip nets to scoop up muck from under the water, dump it on the edge of the water, look for moving life, and pop those little creatures into a jar or bucket of water for observation.Little crayfishI never knew they were kind of pretty!FAIRY SHRIMPDRAGONFLY NYMPH & CRAYFISHNo one has to make them “do science.” It comes naturally!Big dreams of tiny creatures.Found a feather!A new island.We went down to the main river channel and discovered a multitude of living things in the water under the “muck,” (a.k.a. decomposing organic matter that is packed with nutrients!) We found: crayfish big and small, fairy shrimp, dragonfly nymphs, and fish.
Imagine you have spent your childhood living down deep in the warm mud of a wetland, swimming around and breathing with gills. One day when you are anywhere from 3 months to 5 years old, you crawl out of the muck, up onto a cattail or blade of grass, your back splits open, and you crawl right out of your “skin” (exoskeleton), but you are no longer a creepy crawler; you are an iridescent, shimmery, winged creature who can now FLY! You have lovely fairy-like wings and amazing eyesight. No more dark, muddy days. You are a DRAGONFLY!
Happy explorer.Always more to discover.The river’s edge is nice and shallow.A slew of snails were creeping around in the grass and logs.It’s so interesting to see which kids had a hard time with Brain Gym at first but have no problem now!Last day of Brain Gym. I wonder if anyone will remember to do it on their own?A dragon head shaped piece of bark.Root wrapped around a trunk.Photo taken of a pine tree catkin on bark through a pocket microscope with phone camera attachment!Noticing bark differences between trees.Observing ants and their busy highway.Since we were the ones to go to the ants’ home, we respected them by simply observing and keeping our feet and hands out of their space. No need to hurt or kill them when they were minding their own business!
This week we learned to adapt to an unwelcome change, observed the cycle of life and death in nature, discovered a new land, and learned from our mistakes. (And the kids renamed me, “Ms. Tree.” I kinda like it!)
Unwelcome Change
After a week away from “our” woods and creek the kids were so excited to get back to their adventures. Can we go to the creek???!!! is the question pelting me from all directions the moment we reach our Meeting Log and begin to set up our mobile classroom each morning. But on this morning I heard cries of shock and distress when they reached the bank where our beloved Log Jam Bridge should have been waiting for us. What happened?! Someone cut it down! Where is our bridge? Why is it gone? A chorus of dismay rose from our little group of explorers as they found that the neighbor to the west of Camp Rockford had clearly taken a chainsaw to all but one of the logs that formed “our” bridge. Without the other logs and a living tree that was growing out of one, there was now nothing to hold on to when crossing the only remaining log. Not only that, but the water now flowed much faster and deeper, making it an unsafe place for us to explore, at least until drought conditions reduce the level of the creek at some point. Mrs. Webb and I looked at each other and a great deal of thoughts and feelings passed silently between us. It was impossible to completely conceal our own dismay. The kids wanted answers and we are the people who usually have them. But this time we could only make assumptions.
Unfortunately, our first assumption was that the neighbor had intentionally tried to ruin something for our campers because we had heard in the past that he was not a fan of children using the RPS property separated from his only by the creek. Not only that, but the week prior I had sent him a letter with the intention of reassuring him about any concerns he might have about us damaging his property or causing problems for nature, because he mentioned to the other camp’s teacher that some rocks from his side of the creek bank had been moved. Could it have been my letter that somehow prompted this removal of our favorite place of all? As we processed what had happened and moved upstream to find other places to explore, I heard some of the kids talking about how mean that man was to do what he did, and I realized we were in a teachable moment. After getting the attention of the little group closest to me, I told them this: We don’t actually know why he cut those logs, and so we need to be careful not to start telling people he did it to be mean. The kids asked me why. Because when we don’t know the truth of a situation, we shouldn’t assume. We should get more information. Otherwise, we are starting and spreading a rumor, and rumors can be very hurtful.
In Which We Go On An Adventure to New Lands.
Unexpected changes are usually hard for most of us. But as I’m sure many can attest since the changes of 2020, if we allow ourselves to adapt, there is usually something good that comes from change, and at the very least, we learn from it. So, despite how bummed we were to lose our Log Jam Bridge, we decided on Tuesday to strike out in a new direction for lands unknown. One group headed upstream and into the woods with Mrs. Webb, and the other intrepid explorers chose to come with me on an Adventure Expedition to New Lands. (Adding lots of fun language and dramatic voices makes it so much more fun and the kids catch the tone and pick up new vocabulary this way.) We blazed a new trail where none of us (including last year’s groups) had ever gone before! We stomped down some nettles, walked along logs, jumped to the ground, and stopped frequently to reassure and support those who were being extra brave when they were just a little bit scared. When the vegetation opened up we found ourselves at the corner of where “our” creek flowed into the Rogue River. By the time we left, the kids were calling it “Mud Island,” and its new, part-time inhabitants were, “Mudlanders.”
Learning that there are no such things as nettle trees.It’s more fun when you have to climb over and under things to get where you’re going. It’s the journey, not the destination.Making and throwing mud balls is a science lesson no teacher needs to prompt. What makes mud? How do we keep from getting stuck in it?I made a little mud lady.Making mud people.They were so excited to find worms! Worms are a sign of healthy soil.Aim, eye-hand coordination, trajectory, experimentation. How far can you throw the mud ball in the river?Mud paintings. Manipulating the world around them is an important part of childhood.Sharing worms…
Life to Death to Life Again
Another less-than-pleasant, but also fascinating, discovery this week were the remains of a very tiny, probably premature, fawn. We faced it with not only acknowledgement of sad feelings, but also with the interest and curiosity of scientists. The finding was a perfect time to notice how decomposers were already doing their work of recycling what used to be alive, turning it into rich soil from which new life will grow. The next morning we followed up with a conversation about how every single food we eat is part of that cycle of life and death. All of our food depends on plants, and plants depend on soil and pollinators. Dead things and bodily waste (poop/scat/dung) do not recycle on their own. They depend on soil microbes and other decomposers to do that work. And one day, new plants will grow where that tiny fawn died, and a living fawn might eat those plants. The parts of the fawn we could not find became food for larger animals that need meat to survive. More recycling! Even if our “Littles,” don’t fully grasp all of that, it was a hands-on, meaningful and memorable experience upon which future learning can build!
Before we found the foreleg with the tiny hoof, we examined a jaw with tiny, flat, teeth that told us it was a plant-eater. The kids wondered about the triangular, flat bone and I helped them find their own scapulas (shoulder blades.) The hair was the right color for a deer, but the bones were so small I didn’t initially think it could be a deer, forgetting that there are fawns that would have tiny bones. See? Gruesome, sad, and fascinating! Before we found the foreleg with the tiny hoof, we examined a jaw with tiny, flat, teeth that told us it was a plant-eater. The kids wondered about the triangular, flat bone and I helped them find their own scapulas (shoulder blades.) The hair was the right color for a deer, but the bones were so small I didn’t initially think it could be a deer, forgetting that there are fawns that would have tiny bones. See? Gruesome, sad, and fascinating!Crayfish sketch and leaf rubbingThere is so much to learn about the tiniest of animals!There is more life in a dead log than a living tree!Children NEED to climb!Some sort of bug was doing amazing art on this leaf!Enjoying my favorite tree book!Holding toads.Wild apples are turning up in the creek.She collects wild ginger almost every day!
There are more magical moments with our explorers than I could ever recall or write about, but this week the experiences of one, particular camper filled me with pure joy. To appreciate it, you need to know that when she began Woods and Wetlands two weeks ago, she was so clearly inexperienced in every way. She was terrified of everything. Her body didn’t yet seem to belong to her, in that she hadn’t developed her vestibular and proprioceptive systems as I would have expected by her age. (Her sense of her body in space and her balance, strength, coordination, etc.) She fell a LOT. She cried a lot and easily. But I am proud to say we met her where she was, and some of the other kids began developing a sense of protectiveness of her. We did a lot of coaxing, hand-holding, reassuring, and one-on-one explicit teaching of small, critical skills and information.
Two days ago when a group of us went on our Adventure to New Lands, she chose to come with us. (Bravery indeed!!) She stayed close to me and we moved inch by inch along a slippery log. I’m scared! Can I touch that? Is it a nettle tree? We slowly created a path as I showed her nettle after nettle so she could begin to recognize them on her own. I trampled them down ahead and beside us as we crept along. With the other explorers coming patiently behind us, I identified each tree branch and showed them how to move them out of their way without letting them swing back on the person behind them. Are those nettles? Those are just wet tree leaves. We kept going. Only once she let her fear overwhelm her and she wanted to go back. We stopped and did some calming breathing. She chose to keep going. Every moment of that short hike (a 1-minute hike for an experienced adult, just to give you context,) was packed with new, frightening, interesting, experiences for her. Her mind and body were fully engaged. After navigating 2 more slippery logs, we made it to the Mudlands. On our way back she was still scared, but slightly more confident. Then, today, she chose to go again, but this time she could point out the nettles all by herself. This time she knew how to bend her knees when she jumped off a log and landed. This time she taught OTHER kids about their surroundings. There’s no such thing as nettle trees, so you can hold on to trees to help you! She couldn’t wait to get back and tell Mrs. Webb, “I wasn’t scared today!”
She did fall once. And she did cry a little.
But don’t we all?
T.
Without prompting she noticed that her leaf matched the tree above our Morning Meeting circle!Matching oak leaves.They greeted the person with the matching leaf.Brain Gym has become easy now that the two sides of their brains are syncing!Brain Gym helps teachers too!5 slow, deep breaths through your nose and out sloooow through your mouth.Maple leaves have an “M” for Maple!She saw the tree shape in the leaf when she held it up to the sky and let the light shine through. (Fractals!)First we Noticed our leaves. “One side is dry and one side is wet.” “One side is dark and the other is light.” “This one has tiny teeth along the edge.” “Mine has big teeth.” The plan was to have them greet each other by finding the person with the matching leaf, but the kids’ minds went to the step I intended for later. We went with it! All on their own they figured out they wanted to go find the tree their leaf came from! I was astounded!
We had a little tree lesson, after which one of the kids accidentally called me, “Ms. Tree,” rather than, “Ms. T.” It caught on quickly!
Looking out for each other.Mud ball with Virginia Creeper. (The arts are important too!)We stayed away from the middle of the river.Before our tracks arrived we saw raccoon, opossum, and deer tracks.So happy!It’s never too cold for them!This tree is getting a bark mud makeover mask.We paid attention to how hard the current was pulling or pushing us.Logs make nice furniture if you need a little rest.Throwing mud is safer than throwing darts. And no one threw it at anyone else. No one even tried it. These kids look out for each other. Meanwhile, they are practicing using their bodies to manipulate their environment. Finding footing in slippery mud while aiming and hitting their target.
How do I get over there? How did you get where you are in the first place? I don’t know!
I’m so scared–this is so much fun!
“Moving and learning play is all about doing,” “As long as the child chooses it and is physically involved in it, fun and learning are bound to follow!” –A Moving Child is a Learning Child: How the Body Teaches the Brain to Think by Gill Connell and Cheryl McCarthy
Careful balance requires mindful focus.Estimating. Can we get onto this log?Moving our bodies against a current while wearing water-logged pants and boots is quite a challenge!“The vestibular system governs our internal sense of balance. Balance underpins all aspects of our daily lives. Balance is learned. Children aren’t born with a sense of balance. They learn it through movement. The vestibular system controls five aspects of everyday living: posture, balance, alertness, concentration, and stillness.” “Proprioception, or sense of intuition, manages our external sense of the world in which we move. (It) is made up of four navigation tools: body awareness, spatial awareness, body subconscious, and strength management.” ~A Moving Child is a Learning Child by Gill Connell and Cheryl McCarthy Mrs. Webb’s stunning photo of the hackberry tree!The kids love the challenges of the “Log-Jam Bridge.” Once they have mastered it, their interests will shift.Nature treasures don’t cost a thing! We just have to go exploring and use our nature eyes.The kids were so interesting in the many curious objects in my collection.Elbow-length mud gloves are the latest fashion!Making a splash!We all get a lot of creek water in our boots!Nothing like a head dunk in a cold creek on a hot day!
Session 2 started last Monday with a whole new set of young explorers. What completely different energy this group has! We have many more girls than boys this time, and far less prior experience among them compared to our Session 1 group. On Day 1 some weren’t sure at first, but within the first hour, “Actually, this is really fun!”
I won’t lie; it takes more energy, focus, and presence on the teachers’ part, but there is so much room for growth with these little adventurers! We already are excited and curious to watch them grow, learn, and change in their relationship with themselves, the natural world and each other.
For one thing there’s a lot more screaming, but it is with excitement and delight more than fear. We also notice that even physically strong and agile kiddos are less sure of their bodies when crossing a log or climbing out of the creek. They are working on their proprioceptive and vestibular systems! (Balance, sense of where their bodies are in space, etc.) A couple seem to have rarely, if ever, used their muscles in certain ways, and I will be interested to see how that may change by the end of our camp session, though, unfortunately, our 2-week camp will be split with a week off in-between for 4th of July week this session.
In any case, they are a lovable bunch and we are thoroughly enjoying supporting them as they explore and learn!
Just 4 days in and balance is already improving!They deconstructed one from the last group and built their own!Watching them figure out how to move something, how to navigate, and how to use their own bodies to make it all happen.Taking turns with the pocket microscope.Getting close to the ground has its rewards.Careful worm exchange with mud gloves.Logs at this height are just the perfect amount of risk for these adventurers!When tree-climbers can’t find low branches, they make do!
Below: Using puppets to role play is a wonderful way for young children to learn. They get to safely try out different roles and imagine what it might be like to be someone or something else, which helps build empathy! Not to mention the joy of whole-group belly-laughter that bonds us!
Michigan wildlife finger puppet greetings were so much fun!The kids loved making silly voices for their puppets.Mr. Porcupine helped out with Morning Meeting.On day 1 we always do a 5-senses, in-place, exploration.Noticing the scent of dry leaves.Getting familiar with our space.We offer time to journal or explore from a selected sit-spot. Writing and drawing helps us connect and remember.When adults read and write, children who see them doing so will try it too.Kids are natural scientists from the time they are born. The are endlessly curious and always ready to experiment!Drawing pictures of what we see and what we did.Slugs are surprisingly fascinating!The morning after it rained we found toads!Look what I found!Cold creek water doesn’t slow them down!Social skills are forged with play-based learning.“Tent” building with Mrs. Webb.Practicing patience with others.We love our 2-way magnifier!
On our next-to-last day of Session 1 for Woods and Wetlands, we took the kids down to the main river channel. By this time the water level had gone down and the current wasn’t as strong along the sides of the river. Just as importantly, we now knew these kids pretty well and were ready to trust them to do their part to help keep themselves and others safe. We expected to find crayfish as we did last year, but we should have remembered that nature always offers us the unexpected! (No crayfish.)
It was a beautiful week!Armed with nets to bravely scoop up anything that moved.They found tiny trout.The outdoors is our classroom. Kids focus just fine there.They know how to use sticks safely.Happy, engaged, safe, and healthy.
Above: Enjoying the cool river water on a hot day, the kids discovered a “mess” of tadpoles, some tiny trout, and how sunlight refracts in water, changing our depth and spatial perceptions. When the current increased in strength for those who went a little deeper, they noticed it and processed it verbally. Mrs. Webb and I kept our eyes on the kids at all times, offering thinking questions and modeling how to wonder, to guess, and to think about everything around us. Every moment could be a teachable moment in the wild, but we still choose to allow many moments to flow past with the current, just staying in the present. The natural world is where humankind evolved and where we are still adapted to be, though we don’t always know it. The more exposure to the natural world, the more resilient we become to life’s stressors.
Watching the water snake.A teeny, tiny water snake!Nature loves him as much as he loves nature!Nothing to fear with a damselfly!Building strength and balance.Just chilling out on a tree stump in the river. Nature is so therapeutic.
With about half the group and Mrs. Webb engaged with using their nets along the river’s edge, the other half opted to go on a mini adventure with me to find the place where “our” creek flows into the river. But before we’d gone very far upstream, we encountered a large maple tree that had recently fallen across the river. We didn’t let it stop us though! The first few explorers clambered easily through the leafy branches about 4 feet above the river. These were experienced tree climbers. One of them returned to offer support to the others.
I perched myself in the middle of the tree and gave what encouragement I could to those less experienced. Despite saying they were afraid sometimes, they didn’t give up and go back. “It is okay to be scared. Take your time. Only do what you feel safe doing.” Slowly, hand by hand and foot by foot, from branch to branch, they made their way through the horizontal tree. This was the ultimate chance to teach the differences between living and dead branches. They could feel the flexible strength of the still-living fallen tree, while older, dead logs beneath our feet filled in some of the gaps, but had to be carefully tested before putting any weight on them. They learned to lightly press these, noticing how some rolled, tipped, or even cracked. With lots of coaxing, reassuring, and suggestions from me, I was elated when the last explorer arrived on the far side of the tree… just in time for us to realize it was time to go back and pack up for the day!
Back they went, but reversing the process that brought them through wasn’t an easy thing to do. Once again the more experienced climbers scrambled through, stepping confidently from branch to branch despite the river and the unknown below. I stayed with the new learners as they worked their way back. Such concentration on their faces! Once through, they offered different responses. One of the twins was elated, proud of his success, happily boasting that he wasn’t scared. The other, who typically is the more confident of the two, breathed a gust of relief and said, “Well, I’m never doing THAT again!” I paused for a moment to consider her feelings as well as my own. Then I offered the following: “That would be too bad because it will be so much easier the next time you try! Your brain is going to process what you did today while you are asleep tonight. Your muscles will remember some of what they learned. And you were so brave to go through that tree like that! I hope you’ll try again, but you don’t have to.“ Now it was her turn to pause. With a huge grin, she exclaimed, “So, you mean my brain will be climbing trees all night?!” She was delighted with this prospect!
The next day, our last, the whole group went through or around (on the shore side) the fallen tree. I had a feeling I would not have to ask whether the twins were going to try it again. Their brains definitely climbed trees while they were sleeping! They went through before I even realized they’d started!
He didn’t used to like getting dirty. Now he’s wearing mud and a snail!Nice, cool mud! Now there are humans tracks to accompany the raccoon tracks.Those vests make camouflage impossible!Sharing the snail.Meet “Golden Sunshine,” the snail. Kids give the best names!These two discovered a “puzzle log,” and worked at taking out and putting back in the pieces.The only boulder in sight proved to be more of a challenge than many expected!On our last day we showed them the tunnel beneath the road. We did not have to tell them about the echo possibilities…We used tree leaves to greet each other and then went searching for the trees they came from.
We were sad to say good-bye to this group, but we know we will love all of the groups still to come! I hope to see everyone this next school year when I bring Woods and Wetlands programs to local elementary schools again!
“My good thing is that we got to go to a nature center and I learned how to tell the difference between a boy or a girl toad is you massage their armpit and if they make noises it’s a boy, but if it’s quiet it’s a girl.”
So we tried it. She, (if, indeed, this method is reliable,) was silent but without a doubt highly offended by our rude invasion of her amphibious armpits! We may have scarred that poor toad for life. In hindsight, we probably should have asked her first.
Below: After trying out a few of the Exploration and Conversation cards I gave them, most of the kids found their own preferred methods. I loved watching them work and play together, learning social skills as they navigated how to make suggestions, how to get what they wanted, ways to negotiate, and making space for everyone to participate.
A collection of greenery includes snake grass (horse tails)Why is this old barrel here?Building an animal motel together in the hollow of this tree.
Wouldn’t this be the ideal P.E. class???
Whose scat is that?Feeling the balance.Hackberry TreeThis ant was declared to be doing, “butt-lifts.”The kids noticed an ant highway so we took some time to investigate and observe.A mysterious gall from an oak leaf.Tadpoles galore!The magical damselflyKids in the know announced that these were trout.
Celebrating our success at freeing a living tree from beneath a fallen dead tree. We worked really hard at it for a long time!
When perseverance pays off!
Above: with careful instruction and close supervision, young children can learn to safely use real tools. This heavy, dead tree fell over a smaller living tree, trapping it against the ground. It is important to leave dead trees, branches, and logs in place whenever possible, as they provide critical habitat and food. Once we freed the living tree, allowing it to stand up again, we left the dead one to the millions of tiny living things as it gradually becomes new soil again, courtesy of decomposers.
Above: Reading and writing about real and immediately accessible experiences makes literacy a joy!
Moving upstream vs downstream. Building muscles and balance. No one had to tell them what to do.
Above and below: Shouldn’t THIS be what P.E. and science classes look like?
Geology and properties of matterBodies of water that have currentsFungi: not plant, not animalNew perspectivesResults of human-caused erosionSoil typesBody awarenessCollaborationMeasuring depth
Below: Learning to be gentle with other living creatures.
Female Green FrogDamselflyAmerican ToadPracticing how to hold just tight enough but not too tight.
Below: Learning about and carefully handling Ms. T’s Nature Treasures.
Above: I trusted this group to pass around delicate snake skins, a fragile egg, a partial muskrat skull, and seriously spiny seed pods. We don’t just tell them to be careful, we show them how. Then, little by little, trust and confidence can grow. Nothing was broken and no one was injured. This is not found in a school curriculum, but is a worthwhile life skill.
Silent greetingsThere are many ways to greet someone silently.We used sign language, waving, smiling with eye contact, and bowing.Kids have a lot of connections to this book!Reading, If You Find a Rock
This is the best camp ever! I wish I wouldn’t get older and not be able to do it again!
What if you had tree branches growing out of your ear holes?
We used our pocket microscope to look up close at this rock she found.Having a sturdy stick helps when one gets stuck in the muck!A physics lesson involving the suction of mud and how it acts upon one’s boots!
Summer Woods and Wetlands Camp at Camp Rockford has begun! Our first group has only been with us three days and already there is a definite sense of bonding between all of us. Already these kids have filled my heart and gained my trust. It may be 90+°F out where the paved and treeless places swelter in the sun, but we are right where our bodies are adapted to be, playing and learning in the deep shade of oaks, maples, and hickories, as well as wading around through the cold, flowing water of a local creek. We watch slimy slugs staying cool tucked into the grooves of wet oak bark, while toads abound in the soft, dark leaf litter and rich forest soil.
Day 1 we went over a lot of safety info and then explored the creek. We introduced the journals toward the end of our morning and were pleasantly surprised by how well the kids took to them this time. Of course, each group and individual differs, but my theory is that starting out with journals last year felt too much like school, hence, more resistance. This time the kids welcomed a chance, after exploring, to plop down, tired but happy, and draw and/or write about what they experienced. I also have the benefit of having read more of Anna Botsford Comstock’s, Handbook of Nature Study, in which she states her observation that, “The child might rather never had this experience than be forced to write about it.” Instead, she encouraged students to write about it only “because I am curious to know what you discovered,” and only if they wanted to. I was very struck by this! It seems wise to me and fits with my philosophy about the importance of nature-play-based learning to build a sense of love, connection, and ownership with nature on Earth that may later lead to more reading, writing, and more formal study of the natural world.
Of course it also makes perfect sense that it is silly to ask someone to write BEFORE they have the experience! Especially when those “someones” are still so new to written communication, when their verbal expression is still developing. And, as I told my students’ parents each year on Curriculum Night, the only way children will be able to make connections to what they read, or to even HAVE something to write about, is if they are having real life experiences! On-screen experiences happen on a screen, but we know that children’s bodies are what they use for real learning. If it is in the body, it is in the brain.
Day 1 also included the standing sensory exploration I began implementing in the spring with all of the classroom programs I did. On Day 2 we introduced Brain Gym and mindful breathing. When we focus on and are aware of our breath, we cannot help but be present in the moment. I recently learned a new breath-work technique that has significantly improved my own anxiety, and I now teach it to children to use for calming themselves as needed. It felt so amazing to observe these kids who I only just met on Monday, trusting me to guide them through trying some bizarre, new, movements and breathing strategies! I simply explained that the movements help the two sides of their brains work together better, and the breath helps us notice how we are feeling on the inside. What I did not say is, with near-constant external stimulation of today’s world of technology, it takes intention to remember to check in with our bodies. As a culture, we are losing touch with being able to feel/notice our own sensations and to recognize and name them. How can we trust and hear our bodies and minds if we never stop the busy-ness and put away the screens in order to turn inward now and then throughout our day?
Sniffing and tasting wild chives.Time for mud gloves!Wild onion/garlic flowers.So much to look at in every direction.Sticks make excellent tools for learning about levers and fulcrums. They provide ways to extend body awareness and develop coordination. We learn how to use them safely.This was in our path. Some went over and others went under. How to decide? Check in with yourself. What feels right?Every day we practice recognizing poison ivy. Eventually they will notice it without even trying.The creek edges are particularly sticky this year!We need a whole set of these 2 way viewers!There’s fungus among-us!They climb what is available.Balance, strength, estimation, and just-enough risk.Mrs. Webb is the best fort-building guide! She engages without pressure and knows just when to step in or step back.Spontaneous team work.Adults should play too!Engineering in action.Taking and waiting for turns is no small feat. The self-control and patience involved are life skills we all need. This group already has sharing down cold!Being gentle with smaller creatures.Some of us choose solitude in nature.Slug, snail, or toad magnified.Kids noticed this odd growth on a wild berry plant. I guessed it was a gall and cut it open. Sure enough, we saw the pockets where the larva were before they bored their way out.Examining nature treasures.Seriously happy campers!We assist when needed.It’s not as deep as it looks. Nevertheless, we moved to an even shallower area after this.Finding friends.
When I got home after camp today, I noticed a note I had made to myself earlier this morning. It said, “greeting with info about what they Know, Notice, or Wonder about a nature treasure.” My initial thought when I spotted the note was, “Darn! I forgot to do that!” Then I paused and laughed at myself. Any teacher of my generation will know I was plugged into the old, “KWL,” strategy. It has morphed into any number of different permutations over the years, but the point of it is essentially the same. But what struck me as funny today was it hit me that when children are engaged in learning through nature play, no one needs to prompt them to ask questions, share observations, or tell about what they already know. Because it is their nature to do all of these things on their own! In fact, a teacher would be lucky to get a word in edgewise between the questions, stories, and exclamations!
Our Morning Meeting is held beneath the shady arms of a single tree in a tamed expanse of mowed grass. Today the tree was raining seeds down upon us, which precipitated a mini lesson about how seeds that land in places where humans have stifled or destroyed the natural order of life, death, decomposition, soil, and new growth, cannot grow to make new trees. We began imagining aloud what if the seeds landing upon us took root and we grew trees out of our heads!? Always open to silliness, our imaginings expanded. The kids had us all laughing over the idea of acorns for eyes and branches growing from our noses or ears. As I reflect on this now, I see an analogy. Too often we adults get in the way of children’s natural interests and learning abilities. We have good intentions, like mowing under a tree, but maybe we need to get out of the way a bit more. Mow a lot less. Let the kids’ “seeds” land where they will, and grow in a place we have not prepared for them, and in ways that work for each individual. Let learning be organic and messy. Follow their lead and offer enrichment when needed, but step back too. When we force every seed to land in the same place, a place we have interfered with so much that nothing can grow there except grass that is never allowed to flower and drop its own seeds, there will be little to learn in that monotonous place. Our children grow rich in mind, body, and spirit when they are surrounded by diverse, natural, spaces where their seeds can all take root.
Woods & Wetlands 