A day in the life of a 'FOREST DAY Program' with youth in the LANARK HIGHLANDS. November 29th, 2019

Dec 2, 2019
2 min read

Updated: Oct 17

We began the day with a fireside gratitude circle and sparked curiosity with authentic questions about the wintering birds. Where do they find their food? What do they eat? Little eyes scanned the landscape, offering guesses: sunflowers still standing, thistles, and common mullein (Verbascum thapsus—aka “hag’s taper” or “witch’s staff”). These weeds support the winter habitat, hosting insects that provide protein and seeds for finches, chickadees, and downy woodpeckers. Mullein stands tall, reaching up to eight feet, its soft, fuzzy, lamb-like leaves at the base—truly a noble plant, a guardian of the earth.

Our morning wander through the cedar grove led us down animal trails, where we spotted burrowed homes with doorways to the underground, bound by a feathery, hoary-frosted mycelial network. Children discovered tunnels leading to realms known only to ground squirrels and other forest-dwelling friends.

After much discovery and freedom to explore, we reached our destination for a silent group sit-spot on Lookout Rock. Here, eight children, aged four to seven, relaxed and gazed into the canopy, waiting in quiet anticipation for bird sightings or alarm calls.

It is an honor to experience such silence in the cedars with eight children at my side.

On our return, we checked in with the cardinal directions, using “lost-proofing” questions about landmarks along the trail. We continued our walk down history lane on an overgrown logging road, investigating a kiln and campsite left to ruin on this century-old Lanark Highland homestead (circa 1860).

We explored animal food stores, asking questions about which species cache what, and where. Along the way, we identified club moss, fern moss, creeping jenny, oregano, lichen, puffballs, and observed squirrels’ tree nests, dens, and their harvesting habits. We collected tinder—witches’ broom and birch bark—before returning to base to rejuvenate with a roasted apple or two. And, low and behold, a bald eagle hovered above, gracing us with its presence.

After a musical interlude and lunch by the wood stove, we returned outdoors for fort building in a south-facing lean-to formation. The children worked together, harvesting cattail stalks for cover and using old cedar trees for support, while I observed and kept my hands busy weaving red dogwood wreaths. The children crafted and carried home a pinecone bird feeder to hang outside their window, inviting visits from feathered friends this winter.

We closed the day with a blindfolded sensory awareness and team trust-building activity: “Greet a Tree.” Blindfolded children were guided by un-blindfolded friends to explore a tree using all senses except sight. Once ready, their partner guided them back to the starting place, twirled them in a circle, and removed the blindfold. The children then sought out their tree. Most found it, recalling details like a branch above their head to swing from, a stick they tripped on, the smoothness of bark, the direction of the wind, the tree’s diameter, the slope beneath their feet, or a fork in the trunk. The senses came alive while building cooperative trust between blindfolded explorers and their guides.

We concluded with our core routine: passing the talking piece for a closing gratitude circle. Each child had the opportunity to share their “personal best” stories and express appreciation for spending the day together on the land.