Forest Playschool is in full swing! We have an adventurous group that loves to go on hikes. Our morning meeting leader decided we would climb back up to lookout rock, craft and, of course, sled. Luckily the snow was fresh enough that we were able to see some awesome tracks on our way up. 

We found squirrel tracks and evidence of a snack! An acorn from one of its caches makes for a lovely mid-joruney meal. It's amazing to see the playschoolers build on their tracking identification knowledge based on what we encounter in the woods. Three weeks ago maybe one or two of our kiddos would have know this was a squirrel, but now all nine of us were able to make an educated guess. In all of our tracking programs we really try to drive home the concept of place, pattern, print, or using different clues to piece together who a track belongs to. It's gratifying to see playschoolers use the forest setting, acorn and size and pattern of the tracks to decide it was a squirrel! 

It was such a beatiful, sunny and clear day. We were able to see both Camel's Hump and Mount Mansfield perfectly. We even heard the call of a Barred Owl while at the top! We all practiced it's call - "Who cooks for you?" Unfortunately, no reply from the owl. Maybe next time! 

By the end of our hike, we were very hungry for lunch. I decided to read one of my all time favorite children's books, The Lorax by Dr. Suess. I think this book is the perfect blend of rhymes, silliness and environmental ethic. It opened up the discussion of how valuable clean air, water and healthy forests are to natural communities and human society. We asked big questions about whether or not the production of a "Thneed" or other material goods should be produced at the cost of "Truffula trees" or other natural resources. 

We finished off our day with some sledding all over the front yard!

See you next week!