Monday was an action-packed day with beautiful weather outside. We started the day with a special visit from Emily Calder who showed us how to use dandelions to create artwork. The kids each drew on a piece of cardboard with colored markers and then used a pencil to puncture holes in the drawings. The holes were then plugged up with dandelions they collected, giving their artwork a bright yellow and 3D element to them. 

Afterwards, we had morning meeting to plan out the day and our first snack. David came down to visit us shortly after and led us on a bird walk. We saw and heard a number of bird species including red-winged black birds and tree swallows. 

We then went to Beaver Pond to go scooping for critters. Lots of animals were active today, probably due to the sunshine and warmer weather. The kids caught eastern newts, crayfish, pickerel frogs, minnows and other water-dwelling creatures. 

We took a break to enjoy our lunch before returning to the forest to build shelters from natural materials. The shelters were in the shape of teepees leaning against large trees and insulated with the surrounding leaf litter. 

After shelter building, we walked to the brook to do some more critter searches and to look for intriguing rocks. The kids were especially drawn to quartz due to its white crystals. They also wanted to see which rocks could break the easiest, and spent a lot of time mashing different materials they found into little bits. 

We wrapped up the day by playing “park ranger” in the sugarhouse field. And on the way back to the clubhouse to do thank you circle, we saw a common garter snake with a hint of blue down its back. 

Being outside with Forest Classroom is now even more enjoyable with the warmer weather and more animals present.