
We started out for Far Corner one day, but never made it past the giant Beech Tree (aka Pooh Tree). And that’s okay. Magic happens along the way.
The seasons they go round and round, and suddenly we find ourselves with summer round the bend. We asked the Oaks where they wanted to be sure to go, and what they really hoped to be able to do in our last two weeks of school. We made a list and day by day have been visiting those special places. The Ultimate Climber, The Campfire Circle, The Workshop, Far Corner and the Hollow Tree, the Pond, and Hilltop Home, of course. Choice is such a powerful thing to offer children. Where do you want to go? What do you want to do there?
On a thunderstorm day, we started out in the Mansion, but as the storm passed, we offered a choice: go out in the rain or stay in?

Thunderstorm day, playing the bird beak game (different beaks for different foods), after a tour of all the stuffed birds in the library to observe their beaks.

After the storm passed, some Oaks chose to take stock of the creek in flood, while a few chose to stay dry inside the Mansion

Dam removal engineers discuss the plan and roles

Oaks visitor #1 swings across!

Oaks visitor #2 builds a bridge
We have been talking to the children about their favorite places at Audubon. Some of the destinations above were favorites, but the one that surprised us was our Lunch Spot – AKA The Stumps and Wobbly Logs. I had just read a blog post about the value of returning with children to the same place in nature over and over. To me, this was our outdoor classroom, Hilltop Home. And yet, our lunch spot is the place we spend the most time. We go there almost every day. We eat together and then as they finish eating, the children move off in twos and threes. They climb trees. They play in the old foundation. They look for tiny critters and mushrooms. They become superheroes or other imaginary characters. They play. And by playing in this one little patch of semi-wild, day after day, in all seasons, it becomes dear to their hearts. “There are so many different things to do there.”

Time together in a tree

Taking turns

Teamwork to roll the wobbly log

Hollow Tree acrobats

Pirate captain on the lookout
There is value too in the new and unexplored. We found a few stones still left unturned..

The Rock Mountains!

Playing 1,2,3 Tree!

Exploring leaves, all shapes and sizes.

Favorite garden leaf – sorrel

Tasty tulip petals

Ants, birds, and butterflies like nectar and the Oaks do too!
Meanwhile at our other favorite haunt, Hilltop, new loose parts sparked new play.

A bundle of hardy kiwi vines…

Transformed this fort into a dragon…

and these Oaks into equestrian princesses

A stick makes a most excellent steed!

We brought some math skills into the play at Hilltop. Cookies arranged just so.

Patterning

Patterning

And counting
One of the children wished to go to the Ultimate Climber, and another wished for a game of Camouflage, so we hid and sought among the fallen trees. But first, we read one of the children’s favorite books, brought from home, about a tortoise whose burrow shelters many other living things. The story brought up the concept of a keystone species, and a discussion of intrinsic value (does it matter to humans that this special tortoise is so important to other animals?). Forest Kindergarten philosophy.

You can read a story anywhere!

Playing Camouflage. The seeker must stand in one spot and try to see the hiders.

Entering the age of rule-bound play. They are using “eenie meenie” to choose who gets to be the seeker next. Their idea, their negotiation. Ready for the playground.

“In the Workshop, we can build.” Adding a roof.

Up in the Oaks-built roof under a leafy roof

Favorite story time, about how you never forget a friend.
A fascinating thing happened at the Workshop this week that speaks to this sense of place, to the magic that happens when you return to a particular spot. This little corner of Woodend is likely only ever visited by the Oaks (and critters). It’s a hidden alcove with a few fallen trees surrounded by bush honeysuckle. You have to wade through tall grass to get there. Way back in October, a child started a simple game called Wheat Store. Collect grass seeds and “sell” them. Others joined. I introduced the idea of grinding the “wheat” on a stump. Today, as soon as they saw that particular stump, the game jumped back to life. Only this time it was bigger and better. More children got involved. The story grew. “We are a family living in another country and we have go gather the wheat and then grind it and then bake it and then take it to market to sell it. I’m the sister.” Each child had a role, in the family and the narrative. They added an oven, collecting bags, and myriad details, all negotiated with each other independently. It was beautiful and a testament to how much these children have grown.

Gathering “wheat”

Grinding wheat. This particular stump is linked in their collective minds to this game.

The stump that started it all.

You will need pouches to carry the grains to the shop and to market. “I know how to make a bag!”
With the warm weather, wildlife discoveries abounded.

Garter snake!

Brood X Cicada (visiting, not found at Woodend)

Releasing wood frog tadpoles

Checking for signs of the fox family

Box turtle!

Pride of the finder

Pride of the finder
Opening Song: Make New Friends
Closing Poem:
I’m unique.
In this whole world
There is no one else
Just like me.
Books we read:
The Adventures of Sophie Mouse: A New Friend by Poppy Green
Bimwili and the Zimwi by Verna Aardema
The Empty Lot by Dale Fife
At Home with the Gopher Tortoise – the Story of a Keystone Species by Madeleine Dunphy
Forget Me Not – Friendship Blossoms by Michael Broad
Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin