Young Explorers Forest Camp 2025
What a week of joyful reunion and welcoming new friends into the beautiful oak woodlands!
After energetic and joyous romping each morning, we welcomed the day with a greeting circle, song, and hiked into our destinations. Our basecamps held something special for discovery and play…a precious shady creek spot where we found water skaters, tadpoles, and a froglet…the oak woodlands where we strung our hammock under shady branches and crafted with string, beads, scissors, and natural paint…the picnic area that held the treasured dirt piles where we climbed, concocted baked goods from clay and soil, and had a big splash party with water collected from the spigot while making a temporary stream for birds and bugs to receive hydration.
Each day held a distinct story, telling the magic of this place and its natural inhabitants. Sometimes infused with lore, like the giants and fairies, which became a fun game for us all. We made gifts and notes for the fairy tree, and were surprised to receive gifts from the fairies in return on the last day: tiny fairy crowns for each child and a note written to our nature crew.
Our creativity surged mid week as we smashed berries and cherries to create natural paint and painted a huge canvas together. The berries were also smashed for a treat which we enjoyed later in the week…blackberry ice cream! The birds benefited from our crafting too. We created bird feeders from wild seeds, almond butter, and elderberries on sticks and hung them in the woodlands as we played. We learned how to winnow and easily extract even the tiniest seeds from wild mustard plants.
A nature name ceremony came when the children could seek out the source of a drum beat tucked up on a rock in the park. There, a special drumming song was sung, and each received their nature name necklaces. The seeking skills were further put to the test during a scavenger hunt for wild species the next day!
Facepainting and our homemade ice cream treats rounded off our experiences together, culminating a packed and rich week of nature immersion. See you next summer, explorers!
