Wildwoods Blog!!!

We have had a very busy and wonderful first month of forest school! After our first week getting to know the grounds, the students expanded their adventures across the property. During our hikes, we have been learning about the surrounding animals, plants, mycelium, and insects.

From veiled oyster mushrooms along the zig-zag trail, to crowned slug caterpillars by the waterfall, and a mama doe with her two fawns on the hill trails, our first month has been filled with woodland guests. One special encounter was with an Allegheny crawfish measuring a whopping 2.5 inches! After gently scooping it into a pot, we gathered to admire the largest, brightest red crawfish we have ever found here. We discussed the importance of clean water for species like crawfish and salamanders. While visiting our freshwater friend, the students also explored dialectal synonyms. We polled the class on their favorite terms for the creature, including crawfish, crayfish, crawdad, mudbug, and a student favorite, “mini creek lobster.”

The students have also enjoyed learning about local wild edibles, both native and invasive. A few children have even taken to harvesting an invasive edible called Smart Weed by the handful to bring home. There has also been immense curiosity about hickory nuts. We spent time cracking open the outer hulls, drying a few nuts to view the edible interiors, and discussing how tree nuts are preserved through the winter. After discovering Nut Weevil larvae inside some nuts, students observed and named them, creating a temporary home for them in the mud kitchen. Additionally, we extracted natural dark brownish-black ink by soaking some of the hickory hulls in cold water for two weeks.

Another favorite activity has been repairing the creek bed after late summer storms. The heavy rains moved significant rock debris from upstream, rerouting the creek into our music area. The students worked as a team to dig new channels, shift rocks, and divert the water back into its original path. Other students focused on water flow control, using grass, sticks, and progressively larger rocks to build impressive dams. Thanks to their hard work, our music area is completely dry again!

September in the Wild Woods was fantastic. We cannot wait to see what next month brings and look forward to sharing more of our lessons, observations, and discoveries with you.

Until next time—learn, grow, and be a child in nature!