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Encounters with the Bunnies
he group is familiar with the fallen tree trunk that lies on the forest floor. Over the last few months, they have returned to it repeatedly in search of the bunnies, or at least the tracks they leave behind. Some children decide to follow that log again and begin to tell me about that particular day they spotted the bunnies. We walk through the same path they had followed many times before. As we walk along, many narratives unfold; some of them about rabbit tracks and rabbit poop. They wonder why today we do not see any tracks or poop. As we move, they decide to uncover some ice and…
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Encountering the Transformed Forest and the “Lakes” Within
As we left the center for our walk in the forest, we could already see, looking from the distance, it would be a new and transformed forest. The temperatures have risen, a 15 degrees increase since our last forest visit. As we arrived at the slope, our challenge was not to move across the snow but to keep our feet away from the mud as Laura, the educator, requested we keep our steps on the grass. When we got up there, we saw this time we had to choose our way to get into the forest as large puddles covered the usual path. We passed one such puddle in our…
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Inside-Outside Intersections: A Cow is Sheltered From the Storm
As inclement weather is upon us, our walk to the forest was not possible, and for the day we had to be inside the classroom. Through the glass, we could see the wind carrying the snow, and even when we were constricted to the inside space, the outside was present in children’s questions and curious observations. Some of us wondered if it was indeed as cold as others stated and tried to feel it through the glass hoping for some of this wind to break through any possible holes. A group of children plans and builds a complex structure, and as we interact, I discover that they try to protect…
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The Tensions of Considering Nature When Confined to the Indoors Due to Bitter Winter Temperatures
Even with a good snowsuit and cold weather gear, taking infants out in a polar vortex is unwise. It presents particular challenges to our role as caregivers and educators.. The cold weather can foster perceptions of nature as ‘other’. In January in much of Canada this is an annual reality leaving us all stuck inside staring longingly out of the window from our place of warmth. How do we engage meaningfully from this physical and mental space? The answer is simple – we talk and remember and observe. We sit together by the window and look deeply out at the ever changing view. We take the time and choose to…
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