Last week, Div. 27 had our very first Wilderness Wednesday! We had taken one short exploratory walk to the edge of the forest, but this time we went inside. We found some interesting plants along the way – students guessed what kind of fruit was growing from the tree. We guessed: tomato, grape, apple. On one tree, the fruit was green, but on another it was red!
At the edge of the forest, we said our Indigenous Acknowledgement – a reminder of how lucky we are to be living together on this land that has been cared for since Time Immemorial by the Coast Salish peoples. We said thank you to the Coast Salish and thank you to the forest!
Along the way to Ms. Osiris’ favourite spot, we saw a number of tiny doors at the base of the tree trunks. What could they be?! We decided that they were, in fact, fairy doors (obviously).
The path to the secret spot was narrow, so we walked in a line, following together and seeing what we could see. We practiced looking closely in the forest, just like our book! We saw tiny black worms, many leaves and sticks, and even some mushrooms.
At one point, the path widened and we came to two logs. We decided they were a bridge, and so we crossed them! We practiced our balancing as we carefully walked along the logs.
When we finally arrived to the secret spot, some friends were familiar with it! They knew the secret! The spot contains two old walls and a large walnut tree. We were able to explore around the area (within the boundaries – invisible walls that tell us how far we can go) and investigate the nature around us.
One student found some branches with large leaves on them, and we counted how many were on each. Others used their muscles to climb the wall and their eyes to investigate the rocks and trees. We had our pocket snacks and were sure to bring all our garbage back with us, to leave the forest as clean as we found it.
During Wilderness Wednesdays, students are learning and practicing many important things: observing (looking closely), making predictions and guesses, asking questions, stewardship (care-taking) of our neighbourhood and natural environment, as well as gross motor skills (like running, climbing, balancing). We also used our experiences in the forest as a provocation for some writing jobs – we drew about our favourite part of the walk, and even built imaginary stories in Story Workshop about the fairy doors! One of the most important skills we learn in unstructured and sometimes unpredictable environments like the forest is risk-assessment. Students need to think about the things around them, take stock of their own abilities, and be brave when appropriate!
We are so excited to spend more time in the forest in the coming months!
Thank the teachers in Div.27 for taking students to explore the mysteries of nature. Being good at finding and asking questions can help kids improve their ability to learn autonomously.
I would like to join the exploration in the nearly future when I have time.