Wildflowers: A Day Full of Play

As usual we started our forest school day by sharing some things we’re grateful for. Today the list included bees, the sun, and animal creatures. We sang a morning song and welcomed the day with open hearts.

We introduced the concept of reciprocity with nature. When we go into nature we should greet, ask, listen, and thank. First, greet the natural world before we explore. They learned to ask permission from trees, flowers, and creatures before climbing, picking, or interacting. Sometimes, we listen with our hearts, noticing the body language of creatures or the way a flower resists being picked as a "no" from nature.

The concept seemed to stick; as you can see, she listened closely to a flower’s answer before deciding whether or not to pick it. With her ear right up to it she demonstrated the care and thoughtfulness we strive to instill.

We expanded on our human sundial activity, measuring and recording our shadows throughout the day. We enjoyed watching how our shadows changed, guessing what would happen as the sun moved.

During mud kitchen play, she told me she was “canning to get ready for winter” just like how squirrels collect nuts for the colder months. This inspired us to think more about how nature prepares for the changing seasons.

We also created a chart of the colors in nature. As the day went on, we kept an eye out for different hues to add to our board. We also spent time watering the flowers, making sure to give back to Mother Earth for all she provides us.

During some relaxing time, we played a calming game of Dream A Tree, building trees with different branches and observing the squirrels and nuts along the way.

Our wishes today were to build a birdhouse for the sparrows that had visited us earlier. I guess I better figure out how to do that by next week!

When asked what she did today, her simple answer was, "played." I think that means it was a successful day!