We started our Thursday morning with some reading and outdoor play while we waited for everyone to arrive. Once we were all together, we welcomed a new face to our forest school community! Fran, Tom's grandma, joined us as a volunteer for part of the day. Each Earthkeeper took a turn introducing themselves and sharing a little bit about who they are before we headed out on our adventure.
Our destination was the Blackfriars Community Gardens, a familiar spot that the children were excited to share with Fran. They eagerly showed her around, pointing out the Little Free Library, the sharing box, and the gardens themselves.
Even in early November, there are still things blooming and growing! As we wandered around noticing what was still hanging on so late in the season, we were treated to an unexpected surprise.
One of the community gardeners arrived and offered to give us a tour of her garden plots!
She invited each child to pick a raspberry from her bush, then walked us around showing us the different plants she was growing, including which ones were edible. If there's one thing these Earthkeepers love, it's discovering plants they can eat! They were thrilled to have someone sharing her knowledge with them, and we spent quite a while exploring and learning from her.
One of my favourite moments of the day happened during this impromptu tour.
Two of the boys noticed a bee in trouble at a bird bath. One announced, "I high fived a dead bee!"
But it turned out the bee wasn't dead after all!
Another Earthkeeper used the stems of sorrel he had collected to carefully lift the bee out of the water and place her somewhere safe. Sure enough, she was alive! The boys spent quite some time watching as she crawled along the rim of the bird bath, keeping an eye on her as she moved around.
I love moments like this. Nobody had planned a lesson about bees or helping wildlife. The children simply noticed a living creature in trouble, figured out how they might help, and took the time to see what happened next.
Once we said goodbye to our generous garden guide, we settled under the gazebo for some reading and a round of our Animal Scat Memory Game before beginning our walk back.
Along the way, the children announced that they were collecting ingredients for potions! They gathered materials as we walked, and a few Earthkeepers found some beautiful moss that they proudly presented to me. They know how much I love moss!
Back at the mud kitchen, those collected ingredients were put to good use. The children got busy mixing up potions, sharing ideas, planning their creations, and negotiating with one another. They’re building so many social skills during this kind of play. Who gets which ingredients? What are we making? How is the game going to work? Sometimes they figure it out easily, and sometimes it takes a little more communication.
Meanwhile, I had a few jobs of my own to get done around the yard.
First, some Earthkeepers joined me to refill our bird feeders. There were a few spilled seeds along the way, much to the delight of the dogs! But the children kept at it, and eventually all the feeders were filled and ready for our feathered visitors.
I also had some spring bulbs that needed planting before winter arrived. As I got things ready, a few children became interested and asked if they could help. Before long, they were doing most of the planting alongside me!
What started as a simple gardening job soon became their own project. They decided they wanted to surround their little gardens with stones and create signs for them. We'll have to carry that idea forward, and I'm looking forward to seeing what comes up in the spring!
The afternoon brought plenty of different kinds of play. Some children enjoyed the rope swing, while others brought art supplies outside and spread them out on a blanket.
But the real excitement started with the hammocks.
One Earthkeeper climbed into a hammock looking for a quiet moment to himself. Another boy asked me to hang up the second hammock, and before I knew it, a whole game had developed.
I can't say I entirely understood the rules, haha!
From what I gathered, there were pirates, two teams, and some kind of competition involving swinging in the hammocks while trying to throw the "anchor" (our rope swing) as high as possible to earn points.
Whatever the rules were, there was plenty of laughter and smiling!
Eventually, the girls claimed a hammock of their own for some quiet reading. I love how the very same equipment can become a peaceful resting place, a pirate ship, or a cozy reading nook, depending on who's using it and what they're imagining.
Speaking of reading, there was plenty more of that happening in the dome throughout the day. I really love how much this group enjoys books. Even our Earthkeepers who aren't reading independently yet will happily thumb through the pages, admiring the illustrations and telling stories through the pictures.
We finished our day with some nature journaling and tidying up before it was time to head home.
The unhurried rhythm of our days allows us to take advantage of unplanned opportunities. A gardener generously shared her time and knowledge, a bee got a helping hand, a planting job turned into a children's garden project, and two hammocks somehow became a pirate competition!
It's a good reminder of why we leave room in our days for the unexpected. The children have plenty of ideas of their own, and sometimes the best thing we can do is give those ideas the time and space to unfold.
Thanks for a great day, Sprouts!
