Wild & Wonderful Monthly Update

September

September was a busy month! We took our very first field trip as a group, had our first Trailblazers class, welcomed the fall with tons of fall activities, and so much more!

The Power of One

This month at forest school, students learned about the ecosystem and how the absence of a keystone species can create a trophic cascade. A trophic cascade is a chain reaction in an ecosystem that starts at the top of the food chain and trickles down to affect many other animals.

We explored this idea through studying the reintroduction of wolves back into Yellowstone in 1995. When wolves were removed from Yellowstone in the early 20th century, elk populations grew unchecked, overgrazing on vegetation that beavers used to build dams. Because beavers were no longer building dams the fish population was declining, disrupting the ecosystem. When wolves were reintroduced in 1995, they controlled the elk population, allowing vegetation to recover and restoring balance to the ecosystem.

To explore this idea, students were given a STEM challenge to build a dam with only ten supplies from nature. This limited supply was to show the impact of wolves being removed, which allowed elk to overgraze, and eat all the vegetation beavers used to build dams.

Without a keystone species being a part of the ecosystem the “beavers” had very little success building their dams to save the fish and wildlife.

We poured water into their containers to see if their dams were functional. There was no team that was successful in building a dam with the limited supplies they were allowed to use.

We then introduced wolves back into the ecosystem and gave the students/beavers unlimited supplies to build a dam to save the fish.

Students successfully built a natural dam to mimic beaver activity, but it was only possible because the wolves had returned to keep the ecosystem in balance.

Welcoming fall

We welcomed in the fall by doing several activities! We first watched the amazing life cycle of painted lady butterflies and released them.

We started building our lean-to shelters. We learned the clove hitch, trucker’s hitch, and bamboo knot. The next step in their shelter building process is to start to trim the sticks, arrange them closely together, and stuff moss between them for insulation.

To welcome in the fall the students also made nature mandalas. Nature mandalas are usually circular in nature, but we decided to do it in a different way. A nature mandala is created from natural materials, such as leaves, stones, nuts, flowers, etc.

The process is proven to be a meditative experience, teaching children mindfulness. In searching for the colors, textures, and shapes in nature it allows children to draw attention to their immediate environment and encourages sensory awareness. It engages the senses and reduces rumination. It is a very healthy and therapeutic practice for both children and adults when spending time in nature.

This fall we have taken them time to collect several nuts we found on the land and learned about each one. So far we have found hickory nuts, acorns, buckeyes, spicebush berries, and walnuts. The last week of September we focused primarily on walnuts and how to make walnut stain with them. This is my absolute favorite fall lesson!

Students first learned to tell when walnuts were ripe and ready to remove from the husk. The husk is the green outer hull that protects the hard shell and edible nutmeat inside.

Students removed the husk and learned that this is the part of the walnut that will give you the stain and stain your fingers for a few days.

After several hours of letting the husks boil over the fire students had made their own walnut stain.

They then had an opportunity to stain their own wood with the walnut stain they had made.

They set the nuts aside during this process to let them dry for 2 weeks. We will return to our walnuts once they have been dried and start cracking them open to collect the nut meat inside.

We went on a hike to identify walnut trees. We learned about the leaflets and piths you find inside the branches of walnut trees. Students also learned that walnut trees produce juglone as a protective chemical to limit competition from other plants. This is why you often see walnut trees by themselves, not close to other trees.

Trailblazers Class

Our first Trailblazers class was so incredible! These amazing students learned all about new hitches to make a lean-to shelter with a partner. We then had a wonderful time exploring the creek!

All three classes were able to enjoy our first field trip of the semester to Circle B Horsestables at Kanawha State Forest.

More Wild & Wonderful Moments

Ian from the Littles class enjoying the obstacle course.

Jackson for our Littles class made a flag for our entrance. It says, “We are Wild!”

Students from the Middles class enjoying lunch together in our net tunnel.

Students in the Middles class started making a chic rainbow wheel. This is our first of two recycling projects we will be doing this semester. This wheel will be made out of old t-shirts and hula hoops and we will be hanging them up when complete to decorate the forest school.

A visualization painting from our Middles class after reading our chapter book.

Trying out our pine needle pop. Our first attempt at making pine needle pop was an epic disaster. We learned more about the fermentation process and where we went wrong. Our second attempt was much more successful!

Our brand new bathroom! A HUGE thank you to my husband, Will, for building us a shelter for our compost toilet!! No more tents blowing away and no more zippers breaking! So excited!

Animal Adventures

Hickory Tussock Moth Caterpillar

Crawdad exoskeleton. We first thought this was a dead crawdad, but upon further invesigation we learned that crawdads shed their skin just like a snake.

We discovered a black rat snake while on our daily hike.

Dekay’s brownsnake. This little guy was hanging out in one of our shelters we had built together.

Echoes from the Forest

In this section, “Echoes from the Forest,” you’ll hear directly from parents and students as they share about forest school. These reflections give voice to the experiences, joys, and discoveries of our community so far.

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“I love forest school and am super thankful we found it. I was a little nervous about being in the woods for 4 hours every week, but it’s quickly become my favorite day of week. Not only do we get to learn the most amazing things, we also to get to hang out with the best people and we love that and have the best time.”

~ Selena B., Parent of Aiden/Littles class

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“Wednesdays are the best days of the week because Wednesday is forest school day! ”

~ Aiden, Student of Littles Class

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“I had an amazing time. Rebekah is nice. Wild & Wonderful Forest School is a dream come true! ”

~ Lea, Trailblazers Class

Coming Up!

Coming up in the month of October we will be learning how to plant milkweed for monarch butterflies, exploring the different colors with eco prints, taking a field trip to Gritt’s Farm, having our first guest speaker, and much more! We of course will see where the emergent curriculum will take us as well.

Bringing Childhood Back to Nature