It is nearing the end of the year and excitement is building for summer as is our stamina to journey a little farther from our old stomping grounds on the bluff. We headed to the river again so that we could spend a little bit more time on the beach. To our surprise when we got there the river had gone down about 10 meters. We tried to make notice of some of the landmarks from last week to mark the difference. The lower river gave us a an enormous amount of space to roam along the rocky shore. We noticed that the kids were a lot more explorative this week and quickly felt comfortable close to the river. We waded, we threw rocks, we painted rocks, we tried with success to catch minnows, we built a boat, we carved into driftwood and we started making leather pouches to take home with us at the end of forest school.
Lately we have been working on group cohesion and inclusion. Sometimes it takes a group chat to problem solve how we can meet everyone's interests and to hear some of the quieter voices in the group. Although the class can and will splinter off into smaller groups we are able to pull together when needed. Today we listened to the sounds of the river, the birds and each others voices.
On our way back from the river we spotted a hawk circling above the wetlands. We suspected they were looking for lunch. To our delight once we came out of the wetlands hot and sweaty, the sprinklers on Princess Island were going. We had to delay our hike back for a delightful run around and soaking in the sprinklers. It was a true surprise and a fantastic treat to end the day.
We have no doubt that this class is ready for our hike to Silver Springs next week!
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