We worked on looking closely at nature in the morning, gathering sticks and rocks and making patterns that the kids then recreated on their own.
We went to the Norski Trail and worked on using trees to build shelters. The children learned how to build winter shelters for warmth, and to build the opening on the east side to avoid weather and storms that come from the west. We talked about different kinds of trees and how to identify them, especially aspens and conifers. Six super hikers went around the whole loop while the rest of the group did a shorter hike and had fun playing and building shelters in the forest. We talked about the first, second and third succession within an ecosystem. This is when a disturbance like a fire or logging happens – small plants and bushes are the first to grow back when a disturbance occurs, aspens come next, and then conifers. We saw cattle grazing on the trail and in the forest!
At the end of the day, the children reflected on what they had learned about trees. We also talked about old and new friends, particularly our buddy from the day. It was a wonderful day!