Wildflowers: September 23, 2026

The Wildflowers arrived ready for another day together, and this week we also welcomed a new volunteer student to join us! The girls settled in with some familiar favourites: working on perler beads, taking turns on the rope swing, and chatting as everyone arrived.

At our morning meeting, we planned our day together before settling in for some stories. One that led to a particularly good conversation was What If Everybody Said That?, which got us thinking about why the way we speak to people matters.

We also talked about whether there are times when it's okay for girls to say, "No boys allowed." With Wildflowers being a girls-only program, it was an interesting question to explore together!

One of the things I really value during these conversations is making room for the girls to have their own opinions. A book can give us an idea to think about, but that doesn't mean we automatically have to agree with everything it presents. The girls are allowed to question things, disagree, explain what they think, and listen to another person's point of view. Sometimes the conversation that comes from a story ends up being just as valuable as the story itself.

From there, the morning shifted back into play. A game of hide-and-seek took over for a while, while two girls eventually broke away to return to their ongoing mud kitchen game of "witches." Apparently the witches still have more work to do!

The requests for stories weren't over either. Later, the girls asked for even more, this time while gathered around the hammock. I love when reading happens this way, not as something everyone is required to stop and do, but because someone asks for a story and others naturally drift over to listen.

We also went hunting for ripe raspberries at the raspberry bush. The girls were thoughtful about how many they picked, making sure there would be enough to share with their friends. A small moment, but a lovely bit of community-mindedness that came naturally.

At the park, they invented another challenge: choosing a colour on the playground that no one was allowed to touch. On our travels we also noticed a fallen branch and wondered whether it had come from the Witch Tree. The bark didn't seem to match, though, which left us with a mystery. If it wasn't from the Witch Tree, where had it come from?

Eventually we made our way down to The Flats, where the girls climbed logs and trees, sang songs, waded in the river, and befriended some of the tiny creatures they found along the way.

It was one of those days that moved easily between stories, big questions, imaginative games, physical challenges, berries, mysteries, and tiny river friends. The girls had plenty of room to follow their own interests while continuing to build the relationships and shared traditions that make Wildflowers their own.

Thanks for a great day, Wildflowers!