09/30/2026
We had another beautiful full day together in the forest, with eight children joining us this week and a few friends away sick. The day was filled with learning, creativity, games and plenty of time to connect with the land.
We began with some energetic games, including a new favourite called Knee Tag, which had everyone moving, laughing and practising their agility. From there, we started learning how to make fire together. The children worked at different stations, preparing cedar fluff and other tinder, helping to build and arrange our central fire area, placing new rocks to mark the directions, and learning how to use a hatchet safely.
During our morning gathering, we shared gratitudes and sayings, then practised our awareness skills by listening carefully for birds and noticing the trees standing around us.
At snack and story time, we learned about the Old Apple Tree Man and held a little Wassail celebration in the orchard. We dipped bread into freshly made apple c***r from the land and placed it in the trees for the birds. This was a way of honouring the orchard and wishing it well for a bountiful harvest next year. We also warmed more apple c***r over the fire to enjoy together.
For our main teaching, we divided into groups for knife safety and skills. Many of the children had already learned the basics, so they were ready to move on to carving spindles for their own bow-drill kits. Some also began practising the more advanced technique of carving spirals into their sticks. It was a very successful and focused knife skills workshop.
After lunch and free time, we crossed the street to a secret little marsh to harvest cattails. Each child collected seven or eight cattails, enough to make their own mat. We brought them back to the land, labelled them with our names and tucked them away to dry. In about a month, we will weave our own cattail mats to help keep us warm through the winter.
