Herons 2017-18: Week 10 - Ice is Nice!
Welcome Back Herons! We had a chilly first day back at program, but got to explore something we don't often get to - ice! Because of the cold rain that fell the night before, most of the fuel around the woods was wet. Working together to break some bigger logs, we were able to get the fire going. After opening circle and sharing gratitudes we taught Ms. Brinkley how to play one of our favorite games - Oh! Deer! This activity explores the predator/prey/natural resources relati
Herons 2017-18: Week 9 - Games & Celebrations
We started our last day of the year with a gratitude circle where we each said something we appreciate about the person sitting to the right of us in the circle. We've had so much fun getting to know each other this semester, and it was very sweet hearing these gratitudes to one another. Next, Ms. Kathryn and Ms. Britt challenged the kids to get a fire started all on their own! They were allowed to ask for guidance, but had to start the fire completely by their own hands. We
Herons 2017-18: Week 8 - Basket Twining & Capture the Flag
Today was a glorious winter day that we started with a "Deer Bounding Challenge" which was lots of fun for all. To play this game, we start with just one backpack that everyone takes turns leaping over, and continue to add more backpacks after each round, making the pile higher and higher, and sometimes longer too. For the rest of the morning we had lots of different activities going on for our friends to choose from. Some chose to learn how to basket twine with Ms. Britt, an
Herons 2017-18: Week 7 - Tarp Shelters, Games & Wood Carving
Today was rainy and on the chilly side, but that didn't slow us down. Everyone was prepared with extra layers and rain gear, and we warmed up quickly with several rounds of "Fire in the Forest" to get our blood moving. We also put up tarp shelters for rain protection, and started a friction fire for extra warmth. While some of us continued to play games, others worked on primitive crafts around the fire: basket twining and wood carving. We learned how to use knives safely, an
Herons 2017-18: Week 6 - Nutty Squirrels, Clan Forts & MudFights
What a beautiful Fall Day! There were so many leaves falling that it it sounded like the trees making music all day. We had lots of fun with blindfolds today playing "Blindfold Caterpillar" and "Nutty Squirrels" - both games that challenged us to use our other senses, and to trust our friends in place of our own eyes. Before lunch we split into our clans and wandered to our secret spots to work on forts, explore the area, and play another blindfold game, "Meet a Tree" After l
Herons 2017-18: Week 5 - Fire Challenge and Holiday Crafts
Opening Circle At Opening Circle we shared a gratitude about someone in our lives for whom we are thankful. One of the ways we discussed about showing appreciation for someone is by creating something for that person. Ms. Britt introduced a few wood crafts that we were going to make, using items found in the woods. Since we were going to go on a wander to collect items, we also introduced our other structured activity for the day- Fire Challenges! Fire Challenge For the Fire
Herons 2017-18: Week 4 - Rain and Fire!
Tarp Shelters We had our first rainy day at Nature Connect! It wasn't too cold, but having a fire felt nice! Our first priorities were getting the tarps set up and collecting wood for fire. It wasn't raining too hard when we first arrived, so we wanted to get camp set up before it started raining too hard. We also noticed that the shelters that were still set up from previous weeks were (a little) drier than the surround area. Could we make a shelter that could keep out the
Herons 2017-18: Week 3 - Clan Forts & Firekeepers!
Opening Circle At Opening Circle, we had a special guest - Ms. Jenn! Jenn is an experienced outdoors woman and will be substituting for all Programs at Nature Connect. She brings wonderful curiosity, knowledge and a playful energy to our facilitation team! After sharing gratitudes, we all enjoyed a snack and listened to Ms. Kathryn tell a story about Firekeepers... Firekeeper story and game Long ago, before people had fire they lived in the cold and dark. But then, a brave yo
Herons 2017-18: Week 2 - Forts & Eagle Eye
Opening Circle Brrr! It's starting to feel like Fall in the woods! At Opening Circle today we welcomed some new friends to the Heron Tribe! We shared gratitudes, reviewed agreements and celebrated as our new friends picked Nature Names. Morning Games and Wander While some of us enjoyed a snack, we were entertained by our less-hungry friends to a rousing round of Animal Charades! Just like the game sounds, one of us would act out an animal and the rest of us would guess what i
Herons 2017-18: Week 1 - Scouting & Hazards
Opening Circle We started our day with a song, and sharing our names and one thing we were grateful for this morning. So many gratitudes! Agreements Part of being in community with other people is having agreements about how we are going to treat each other, the land and the other living beings we share our space with. Some of the agreements we came up with for our program are: Respect for all Living Beings, packing out anything we bring with us, and keeping ourselves and our
