Well, it's October and that means winter is coming. And with winter coming, that means cold is coming too. But its not a bad thing-- there is lots of animal activity at the Green Mountain Audubon Center in fall, as everyone and everything prepares for the changing of the season. For Forest Preschool, that means we remember how to dress in layers and we get to have snack by the fire. Although today, Chickadee tried to have a fire structure ready to go, but it just wouldn't light! We had lots of thoughts about this and it was a great time to talk about what fires need and how to stay safe around a fire circle. Then, we rebuilt it! Some of us collected tinder and kindling; we were really good at finding loose birch bark with its many layers that burn really well. Some collected mouse tails and chickadee perches (really small stuff) and some of us were happy to have the chance to collect bigger sticks. It lit! Then we had to keep it going. We have a special formula to keep a fire going: one adult + one helper = fire keepers. Fire keepers are in charge of what goes in the fire and what comes out (no hot sticks!). After snack it was time for some free play. Some of us wanted to stay by the fire and be fire keepers with Fisher. Others went on an adventure with Squirrel (a.k.a Emily) up to Mossy Rocks. And a third group of us went to run around the meadow and play Rainbow Tag with Chickadee (note: rainbow tag is now one of our favorite games. You should ask your preschooler how to play and play it together! It requires no materials, just the ability to to make a rainbow with your body). It was getting near pick-up time so we all met back at the fire circle. We did a quick sending of gratitude by all shouting out at the same time what we were thankful for. Then it was off through the woods to find our families. Happy Trails <3 [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"8581","attributes":{"class":"media-image alignnone size-medium wp-image-164 aligncenter","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"300","height":"225","alt":"IMG_2329"}}]][[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"8586","attributes":{"class":"media-image alignnone size-medium wp-image-165 aligncenter","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"300","height":"225","alt":"IMG_2330"}}]] [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"8596","attributes":{"class":"media-image size-medium wp-image-167 aligncenter","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"225","height":"300","alt":"IMG_2332"}}]]