With the snow melting, mud season has begun. Many adult Vermonters view mud season as a nuisance, but our little Vermonters of Forest Playschool view it as a great opportunity to create figures from their imaginations. The warmer weather that accompanies it is always a plus as well. 

This week’s animal-to-find was the field mouse. This animal has been the hardest one for Forest Playschool to find so far due to their small size and their brown fur that blends in with the leaf litter of the yard very well. The field mouse has evolved very acute hearing to detect any predators nearby. In fact, their incisors serve as a diaphragm that can pick up high frequencies up to 70 kHz; humans can only detect up to 20 kHz. 

On Wednesday, we decided to go down to Peeper Pond to play in the fields. With all of the snow gone, the kids found that they could run a lot faster and easier so tag was a popular game that day. Most of the class transitioned into forming mud sculptures and stick piles. We then returned to the education barn to eat lunch outside and finished the day playing in the front yard. 

Friday was a special day for the class as we got a new student who will be joining us for the rest of the year. Familiar with Forest Playgroup, this student fit right in, knowing how to play outside and helped others with their creations and games. We decided to go to Forest Camp for the majority of our play time. The kids had a particularly fun time brewing imaginary drinks from the mud kitchen and giving them to Sarah and me. They also thought it was funny to tell us the drinks were fire after we “drank” them. We later returned to the front yard running around and chasing one another. 

Forest Playschool has shown a lot of creativity this past week. Although right now it comes in the form of mud pies, it will later be used in their lives anywhere from the workspace to school. A creative approach to a problem or task will help them stand out from their peers and aid in their future successes.