Evergreens....

 We went on a search for pine cones and twigs to paint, and found a wonderful supply! We looked up, and discovered evergreens. The children knew what evergreens have....pine needles, pine cones, sap, and evergreen needles. THEN we walked along and found SAWDUST, which needed to be explored. As we walked there were also a few looooong felled trees that needed to be sat upon. Together. My favorite part of the afternoon was seeing the comfort level of the children in exploring their surroundings...given time, they have become adventurous, curious, and cooperative in their seeking of natural wonders. I can't remember the last time that the children stood around shaking trees....which was our earliest experience  of exploring the forest!

A Wintry Afternoon

a game of throwing the snow into the stream

happy yelling1

setting up a tarp shelter

a cozy spot

a spot in the forest for playing

the beginning of negotiations...am I the rabbit or the cat?

snowy rabbits

a stick and a smile

more sticks in use to make a house for a mouse

a stick for pounding the snow!

hide!

negotiating the roles of the game

this stick spreads birdseed

cats or rabbits in the forest

a snow cheetah

We spent a dreamy afternoon in the woods with a cozy quickly set up tarp shelter for sitting in, a bag of extra dry mittens, and plenty of snow and sticks to create with. The children immediately began their very interactive games..."Will you be the dad?"  "I'm the cat" "follow me, hurry!" ....and creating creatures and their homes out of snow and sticks...a mouse, a cheetah, and a rabbit. We spread birdseed on flat spaces, and will look to see if it is found by the birds next time. There was a very satisfying game of throwing snow chunks into the stream which ran gently nearby.  There was never a complaint about being cold and wet (thank goodness for modern fabric technology) but there were plenty of smiles and happy shouts.

We're Back in the Forest!

bringing along our mats

a little bit of work to walk with!

making pictures in the forest

drawing with rocks on rocks

moving along!

making our way around the tree

making "frost"

an X

snack in the forest

journals

journals about the forest

remember?

favorite quote for the day from a three year old..."isn't it a beautiful sky? Isn't everything beautiful?"