Forest School: "Isn't it beautiful out in the wild?"

Our last forest school experience of 2015 also marked our first time in the Wissahickon valley, or the "real wild" as some of the children put it. Surrounded by woods and boulders on a fairly mild December morning, we made our way from the drop-off location down to the creek. Upon arrival at base camp, the children lost no time in finding things to do. Literally within seconds the children were captivated by the shallow flowing water and rock-covered shoreline. Some of them quickly discovered how their rubber boots allowed them to stand in the water without getting wet, though there were varying degrees of success in using this technique. Others got to work building things in the sand, and a giant boulder turned into a slide. Another activity that emerged was skipping stones across the creek. Several of children got the hang of it and watched as James' mom, Louise, found the perfect stone and managed somewhere near a dozen consecutive skips.

After a snack break complete with hot tea from our new thermos, we all left the creek and headed up towards the woods for a hike. Just as we were getting started, two horses and their riders crossed our path, and we had a chance to greet the massive creatures up close. As we continued on, many of the children found walking sticks to carry or drag with them. After noticing the marks the sticks made on the trail it was discovered that if you spun around with the stick on the ground it made a perfect circle, much like a compass on paper. Leaving behind several circles, we took a turn onto a smaller trail that led us up higher and away from the creek. After an impromptu break for some rock climbing and to look at some bugs we continued on for about 1.5 miles in total, looping back around to base camp for lunch. We concluded our day with a sharing circle, and after some last-second splashing at the water's edge, we headed back out of the valley to be picked up.

It is truly amazing to watch the growth among the children. Their curiosity and drive to explore have only strengthened over the past few months. I am constantly surprised how engaged the children become in the activities they choose to pursue, and how eager they are to dive into something new. This first trip to the Wissahickon was also the first forest school experience with genuine discomfort for some of the children, which provided a unique opportunity for genuine learning. Getting through this discomfort took some patience and trust in the adults as they demonstrated how to respond to being damp and cold while out in the woods, but by the end of the day, the children's fortitude had surpassed my expectations as I saw the smiles on their faces and listened to them reflect in their own words on their experiences. I look forward to all the good things to come in the new year.