Durango Forest School

We love the many seasons of Forest School. We would particularly love more of the "sledding season" variety this winter! ❄❤☀

We love playing in the sun, snow, and mud at Twin Buttes ❤☀❄ And it was so cool to watch them put in the new bridge!

It is worth sharing how incredibly rich with language a forest school day is compared to an indoor classroom. We have had educators join us who visit all of the preschools in the county. They marvel at how much conversation occurs throughout our day.

Consider for a moment the sheer number of words needed and used and understood by all players to create a shared schema of a place; the items in and around it, how they will be used and for what purpose. Then comes the rising action, the danger or obstacle. Next up is a plan to overcome the obstacle and upon resolution another plot twist. And this continues for hours.

The children are creating with complete independence. All the while considering feelings and learning to manage their own (and sometimes failing) and trying new things and taking risks and crying and getting back up and deciding what they want their next action to be. The agency, the motivation to communicate and connect and also express their own boundaries through language is vital work for us all, but especially children.

For we all begin there and we know what it feels like to be here, as adults. Still considering feelings and managing our own (and sometimes failing) and trying new things and taking risks and crying and getting back up and deciding what we want our next step to be. The work is never done. Thank you for giving your children a language rich foundation.

fire fanning warming stick collecting adding stirring smiling storytelling ice breaking throwing crunching balancing sliding skating falling crashing crying comforting trying (again) building creating collaborating admiring (beauty) destroying laughing persevering climbing feeling resting layering sweating de-layering asking joining talking negotiating giggling dreaming resting jumping dancing sharing gazing deciding acting discovering
playing
playing
playing
at forest school.