First Day of Forest School September 21, 2016 Cliveden

Dontrelle has a look in the hole.
There was a great deal of interest in who might live in multiple holes around this large tree.

String was used to create lures and "friendly traps" with carrots tied on one end.

Lots of organization on how to find this mystery animal,
that we figured out is most likely a ground hog.

Speculation and waiting.

There were many different ideas on how to attract or lure this creature.

Koen discovers burrs attached to his shoe laces.

We find the plant where the burrs grow, and talk about how they
attach to animal's fur or people's shoe laces.

Discovering pine needles, and how silky and prickly they can be.

Anya and Koen in a thicket looking for treasure. 

Behind Cliveden Nahiem and Koen discover a rain barrel. We talk about how
the rain water drains from the roof through the gutter.

The spigot is found to wash hands and....

We create a river! Using our feet to try to block or stop it.

Nahiem creates a bridge with his legs.

Mushrooms found in a wood pile. We are reading
Alice in Wonderland and we talk about if the Caterpillar
might live here!

Lana and Eric chat.

Izzy and Eric waiting for the "catch." Or the presence of the mysterious animal.

Rafiq- Peyton's Dad and Ericka walking past the historical houses of Cliveden.

Nyasiah organizing a game of hide and seek.

Gil found a great hiding place!

Yew tree with berries.

Our Final Adventure for the Year

We pause for a group photo on our way to Carpenter Woods.

We admire some lamb's-ear along the sidewalk.

We pause to pollinate some flowers.

We arrive in Carpenter Woods.

Liam and some of the kids do some log walking/balancing.

Someone finds a remarkably intact dead butterfly.

Some big logs beg to be climbed.

The kids find many harvestmen.

Several of the kids provide the increasingly popular piggy-back rides.

Someone finds a roly-poly.

A simple man-made fence provides for a great balance challenge.

One of the kids points out this cool red bug.

Dorian spots one of the kids balancing on a log.

Someone finds some kind of fruit on our way over to Cliveden.

We climb over a big limb blocking the sidewalk after a recent storm.

We arrive at Cliveden for our last closing circle of the year.

The kids play on some massive branches that fell in a recent storm.

We head back to school.

A Joyfully Hot & Sunny Day

Today for forest school we revisited one of our favorite places in the Wissahickon near "the bridge," "the beach," and "the rock." With temperatures soaring towards 90F, the kids were more than delighted by the cool water of the creek. It felt so climactic after many months of forest school to finally experience the perfect day for water play. The area in and around the water offered much to discover and enjoy: stones of all sorts, sizable fish, butterflies, a swift current that massaged the legs, warm sunlight to bask in, and plenty of splashes.

After our mid-morning snack we headed up into the cool shade of a forest trail. Hiking along a stretch of previously unexplored trail, some of the kids had the idea to pick up large rocks in search of anything exciting to be found underneath. To their joy, they discovered several toads this way. Some other highlights of the hike included trail running, climbing over obstacles like fallen logs and large rocks, identifying some trees, and sharing in conversation as we walked.

We were also joined by many guests in the Wissahickon over the course of the morning. Some familiar younger siblings jumped right in with the action as well as some of our junior high students who were curious to experience forest school with the youngsters firsthand. In addition, down by the water we met a man who was fly fishing and very generous with his time, allowing several of us to examine and learn about his extensive set of beautiful lures made largely from natural materials. He even gave one to us as a gift that had lost its barb. Also, a small pack of golden retrievers fetched for the kids, dashing into the creek many times to return a variety of balls and sticks.

We arrive at the creek bank.

Several varieties of butterflies dance through the air.

Some of the kids look for cool rocks.

The water is irresistible to some of the kids.

Several of the kids practice moving slowly across the rocky creek bed.

Wet shirts help some of the kids stay cool.

The kids are excited to don their water shoes.

The kids enjoy the feeling of moving through the current.

Some of us make it to the other side of the creek.

Some of the kids spend some quality time lounging on a familiar rock.

Some of our junior high students join us for the morning.

Someone finds a golf ball.

A few of us learn about fly fishing lures.

Eric the fly fisherman gives us a lure to keep.

Erics pose with lures in hand.

The stone lifting begins.

We find something.

It's a toad!

We find a unique looking log.

The log proves to be great fun.

We soon find more toads.

Our hike presents a perfect opportunity for bonding and sharing in conversation.

We pick up the pace with some trail running.

Younger siblings join in the fun.