Our Wildflowers began their morning with some colouring and stories while we waited for everyone to arrive. Since it was Remembrance Day, we spent some time talking about war, but from a few perspectives that aren't always included in the conversation.
We talked about the contributions of women, including snipers, spies, and the codebreakers at Bletchley Park. We also discussed the roles animals have played in war, and the effects war can have on nature. The girls shared their own thoughts and perspectives, and we read about Madeleine de Verchères, whose story was later used in wartime recruitment.
After our discussion, the girls headed outside to enjoy the rope swing and hammocks while I built a fire. We had a little project planned: making our own firestarters! The girls helped prepare the candles for melting over the fire, then gathered their dry materials and arranged them in baking cups.
Meanwhile, one Earthkeeper had been busy in the dome, and it turned out our earlier conversation about codebreakers had inspired her! She had invented her own codes and created puzzles for the other girls to solve. Soon they were gathered together, working to crack her messages. I loved seeing something from our morning discussion turn into an entirely child-led activity!
The rest of our morning was spent enjoying the fire, reading books, climbing trees, and feeding our feathered friends their lunch before settling down to eat ours.
After lunch, we were expecting a special visitor: our volunteer Fran, Tom's grandmother! While we waited, I read Diary of a Spider to the girls. When we finished, I asked if they'd like to hear Diary of a Stef. They thought that was hilarious and enthusiastically agreed, so I pulled out my nature journal!
It was a fun opportunity to show them that keeping a journal isn't so different from the books we enjoy reading. Our observations, adventures, questions, and discoveries are all worth recording.
When Fran arrived, we set off for The Flats. I love having different generations involved in our forest school community. There is so much knowledge and experience to share, and I think there is something special about children developing relationships with people of different ages.
As we walked, one little Earthkeeper whispered to me, "I want to find the most beautiful leaf and show it to Fran!"
She searched until she found one she liked, then carefully hid it behind her back before running up to surprise Fran with her discovery. Such a sweet little moment!
We hadn't visited Silly Goose Beach in a while, and the girls immediately noticed that something had changed. Our balancing log had fallen to the ground! What could have happened? The girls suggested wind, lightning, and even a beaver as possible explanations.
They spent some time climbing trees, pointing out patches of moss (of course!), fishing in the river, and hunting for the perfect walking sticks.
Eventually, some of the girls wanted to explore Scorpion Field, so off we went! Our adventure took us through child-sized tunnels that the girls could crawl through, past Frog Log, which we discovered had become quite soft and was fun to poke apart, and onward to some interesting plants and a wonderful climbing stump.
After plenty of exploring, I suggested a game of hide-and-seek. The girls were all for it! During our first round, they were rather surprised to discover me looking down at them from high up in a tree! We also had one particularly talented hider who managed to win four rounds in a row!
The discoveries continued as we explored: a mushroom growing on a tree, a perfect willow chair, an unusual white plant, and a stick with some mysterious jelly-like goo coming out of both ends.
We also came across something much less welcome. Someone had poured concrete into a hole around some trees at Silly Goose Beach. The girls were concerned and determined to help, trying to chip the hardened material away from the trees, but unfortunately it was stuck fast.
Eventually, it was time to head back up the hill. Or so I thought!
One of the girls was carrying a bucket of soupy sand and accidentally spilled some as she walked. The water began running downhill, creating tiny streams.
And just like that, our plans changed.
Suddenly, every girl was interested in these little rivers! They poured more water, watched where it travelled, redirected the streams, and experimented with different ways to keep the water flowing. One small spill had turned into a whole group investigation.
For about fifteen minutes, the girls were completely absorbed in this simple activity.
At one point, an Earthkeeper asked why we were doing this, since we weren't learning anything.
I thought that was such an interesting observation!
Sometimes learning looks like reading about history, making codes, or recording observations in a journal. Other times, it looks like a group of children pouring water down a hill.
They were observing how the water moved, experimenting with its path, solving little problems as they arose, and working together toward a shared goal. Nobody had suggested that we investigate water flow. Nobody had planned an activity about erosion or gravity. It simply happened, and the girls were interested enough to keep it going.
To me, that curiosity and willingness to investigate something just because it's interesting is worth making time for.
Once their little rivers had made it all the way to the bottom of the hill, we finally headed back to the dome, where the girls spent some time working in their nature journals before it was time to say goodbye.
From wartime codebreakers to homemade puzzles, mysterious discoveries, tree-climbing hide-and-seek, and an unexpected lesson in how water moves, it was a wonderfully varied day.
Thanks for a great day, Wildflowers!
