children and hiking Archives

LOVELY DAY ♥

March 13, 2014/in Children and the outdoors /by natasha commander

What a perfect day to begin Seedlings first all Kindergarten class! You might see snow on the ground in the pictures but these kids were treated to a simply lovely day with temperatures that warranted no winter coat…. heavenly!!!!!!!!

This Spring I decided to try something new with the kids. It’s kind of reminiscent of tour guides in NYC, but I think it just might work! I want to teach them about staying together as a group and how that is important when hiking. With two flags, that I made with felt and a dowel (thanks to my husband for cutting them so precisely), one labeled with “L” for leader and “S” for sweep ( a term we used when riding with the bike club for the person who makes sure no one is left behind) Each time we meet I will look for great listeners and select a leader and a sweep. (obviously every kid will get a turn over the course of classes) .

My goal is to get them used to working together, not an easy thing for eager kindergartners out on the trail. BUT, I must say this group rose to the occasion and they really went along with the whole idea. I was so impressed. It also enabled us to stop and explore together instead of me worrying about someone running up ahead without the group. I’l keep you updated ………

Exploring, we found some bird nest remnants and a dog foot print…

Okay so

Back a the barn awaited their beautifully painted twig and bud creations. That was the topic for today …. all the life that is getting ready to burst open when the warmth graces Avalon consistently. We all can’t wait!

Today’s fun thing to do is: Go into your yard and look at the buds on trees with your kids. If possible touch them and talk about what is going to happen. Choose one tree that you will follow for a whole year and take a picture of it. Each time it changes take another picture. Do it for a year… it’s a fun way to teach observation and also makes a nice framed collage for next year!

Keep on hiking families.

Peace,

Sue

A Place in the Leaves

October 29, 2013/in Children and the outdoors /by natasha commander

This beautiful photo was taken by Amelie, one of the hikers in the group!

On our hike to today we had a contest to see who could collect the most nuts. I called them my nutty bunch! They have a great deal of energy and it is always a challenge to get them to notice the things around them. I love that they get to run, but exploring can be part of the adventure too! After our hike the kids returned to the barn with their stash of nuts to see who was the winner. Of course we all knew that Matt would be the winner because his pockets were practically hanging down to his knees. But then something happened…. some of the kids decided to add to Matt’s pile…. so I think then they all decided they were winners!! Matt was okay with that and which made me sigh with relief!

Wiggly worm find!

Love my nutty bunch…. it was a fun day!!! xoxox

TREE CLIMBING 101

I am lucky enough to have a friend who is an arborist and is enthusiastic about his job after doing it for 20 years. I told the kids that we would have a surpirse visitor this week and we did! I like the idea of exposing kids to different jobs that people do related to nature. As a kid growing up I never knew about the wonderful world of hiking and camping, It wasn’t til I was old enough to go out on my own and discover it!!! Lucky kids!

Erik pulled up in his amazing bucket truck with all his gear and his dog Buzz ready to talk to the kids about what he does and the tools he uses.

Erik shows them his chainsaw and explains that he attaches it to his belt and climbs the tree with it. He gave the kids an opportunity to feel the weight of the saw.

After he explained all his tools it was time to put on the belt and climb some trees!!! The kids were so excited to test it out! Everyone was successful and of course wanted to do it again! But we had to move on….. Bucket truck next…….. Thanks Erik!!!

A Flurry of Color

October 22, 2013/in Children and the outdoors /by natasha commander

Perfect Fall day!

We wandered around the trail on a color hunt! Looking for reds, yellows, oranges, greens, browns and blues. It was a fun way to get the kids and moms and grand moms to work together. Along the way we stopped and talked and I punch their color cards with my “smelly feet” hole punch. They were all working towards getting all the colors identified and receiving an acorn necklace and beads for their hard work!

Here are some fun pics. Love to see the moms smiling along with the kids!

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OH NUTS!!!! (and seeds)

October 18, 2013/in Children and the outdoors /by natasha commander

Today was a glorious day for taking a look at some of our trees at Avalon. Most notably the Black Walnut and the Hickory Tree!

Both produce these interesting multilayered nuts. But most of all they are exciting to SMASH open. That’s exactly what we did. Each of my enthusiatic outdoor-kids were ready to take a turn breaking open these nuts. How do those squirrels do it????

We tasted the black walnut which Shannon said had a strawberry flavor in it!! They were yummy. These odd looking nuts are hidden undercover on the trees inside these lime colored looking fruits. When they are ready, they drop to the ground and proceed to rot and turn black. Before you can get to the nutty insides you have to peel away a messy dirty layer….. yuck… then there is the treasure!

But first how do we get to the inside. Well luckily Miss Sue did some research beforehand and she brought the wrench for holding the nut (also to protect her hands from getting smashed) and a hammer. Before long they were cracked open! Everyone was eager to try it.

We were less successful with the hickory nuts, of which are all over the place but dried out inside… what a disappointment. But lot’s of fun to collect!

We continued our walk along the wildflower fields which are slowly turning brown… with seeds all ready to fall to the ground for next year’s blooms. The milkweed plants are in their glory with all of their pods popping open to reveal the amazing layers of seeds attached to little “wish” machines which will help the seeds float away to their new homes!

Amazing milkweed, amazing smile!

Happy Trails

Sue

SKIP TO MY LOU!!!

September 17, 2013/in Children and the outdoors /by natasha commander

Benjamin was so excited to show me how he could skip! So when we started our hike in the wildflower fields he took off in his bright yellow shirt skipping all the way! He skipped and skipped and before you know it there were more skippers or hoppers or runners following him. It was contagious. So much so that I joined in the fun. All that counted at that moment was the kids were free and doing what they wanted. So fun!

Maybe we could have skipping day at work??? Wouldn’t it be funny to watch your co-workers skip to the coffee room. Ha!!!

Skipping is an acquired skill. We don’t just skip…. our body has to be ready to skip. Most kids will skip by 5 but don’t fret if your child is not quite there yet! Get our there and skip or perhaps gallop, another acquired skill. Add on horse neighs and you’re really multitasking. Whew!

To see all these children back at Avalon doing what they belong doing is precious. No cell phones, no video games…. just pure organic fun.

Some kids chose to walk and that was just as good. There was more time to look for flowers and bugs. It’s all good!

LOOK WHAT WE DID!!!

June 26, 2013/in Children and the outdoors /by natasha commander

Early in May my Sticks, Stones and Stories classes planted sugar snap peas and basil. We set them in our hot house and let them begin their circle of life.

After they sprouted we planted them in our own little section of the garden. They grew and grew and grew and today we picked them!!!! Crunchy snap peas and smelly basil. As we picked our bounty the kids found a cool caterpillar and a very busy snail. So fun! It feels so good to pick and eat something that we grew ourselves. Sustenance for all the kiddies.

I look forward to September when these wonderful children come back for more fun and exploring! Happy Veggies!

Sue

RED ROSY CHEEKS

March 20, 2013/in Children and the outdoors, Outdoor education for children /by natasha commander

RUN!!! What could be more fun than running down a path without anybody yelling at you to stop doing what occurs naturally. As adults we’ve learned to temper this behavior but I must say I do enjoy running with the kids making noises and laughing.

Best job ever!

Today we read a story about a personified mud puddle that kept jumping on this little girl, we made mud and painted with it and then took a hike! What made me laugh the most was when we were all done with our day the kids came back into the barn with their rosy cheeks and runny noses and asked, “What to we do next?”

There is no time for boredom when you have your senses alive, when the sunshine warms your face and the breeze is just right! These kids are learning outside… not in the traditional way. They are fearless or the things they fear may not be one day because of what they are doing in the woods! They are developing an attachment to this place and my hope is that one they will ask their parents if they can take a hike sometime or play in the backyard with dirt.

Here are some more pictures of our time outside…… Peace…

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