Ghost Pipes and blueberries, it’s summer time! The students of week two got the opportunity to learn about these cool flowers and delicious little berries first hand. Ghost pipes are often mistaken for a fungus, but in fact are plants. The reason the plant appears the way it does is due to its lack of chlorophyll (the part of the plant responsible for photosynthesis; harvesting the energy from the sun). These plants do not get their energy from the sun, instead harvesting energy from the fungi below the ground. The children were fascinated to learn about these funny white looking flowers that were poking their way up through the forest floor during their week of study. The students were equally excited to learn that the berries of the forest had started to grow and there were just enough blueberries for the forest to share with them.
This week’s trip to Frog Pond was full of “fishing” in the river and hanging out in trees. Oh and of course, frog catching (and kissing 😉 )!
One of the greatest parts of forest school is the time that the children just get to free play outside in nature. We provide them with the equipment to use to fill their boredom and it’s up to their imaginations to take them from there. This week filled their boredoms with building homes for the squirrels and playing with the mud kitchen- making delicious mud pies! Many children in the group spent their time balancing on our slack line and kicking high on the swing.
Provide the tools and the students provide the hard work and determination.
I think I would have to say the favourite for this group was their hammock bunk beds during quiet time. Did you ever think that a group of children could be quiet for 45 minutes ? Most parents don’t believe that their kids have the ability, or want to do so. I was shocked to find out this group could handle 45 minutes of quiet time while bunk bedding with their classmates! They truly showed that they could use the time to rest their bodies and take a break, and still share a smile or two with their friends around them.
The summer week two group truly knew how to make hanging out in the forest extra fun!