Week 10 | Fox Walkers at Fairhaven | Gratitude, Scout Skills, & Shelter Improvements!
It was so nice to be reunited with the Fox Walkers last week after we had the previous week off for Thanksgiving break!
Following the stick drag trail that Pat left behind. . .
Epic hiding spot/ tree "ship"
Practicing our sneaking skills- rain pants are loud!
Which creature was nibbling these Hawthorn berries?
Last week our morning games had a “sneaky/scouty” focus to them. We enjoyed an exciting game of Otter Steals Fish, in which the Otters on the outside of the circle tried to steal the “fish” from the Great Blue Heron in the middle of the circle. We also played a game called Ninja, where one person is blindfolded while the rest of the group are “ninjas” who quietly move around the circle, trying not to be detected/tagged. In addition, we played an impromptu scouting game where we practiced silently sneaking up to one person standing ahead of us. We observed how noisy our rain pants can be while we’re trying to walk quietly, and we altered the way that we walked so that we didn’t make so much noise. We took note of which outside noises gave us an advantage while we were sneaking, such as the sound of the pouring rain, the cars on the nearby road, and the train in the distance. We truly had a blast playing these scouting games!
In the spirit of the holiday season, the story of the week focused on expressing gratitude. In this story, Moon Bird and Running Deer were out on a forest adventure foraging for berries when they came across a bear who was crying because he was stuck in a hole. They eventually helped the bear by throwing it some freshly picked berries and lowering a log into the hole so that he could climb out. Although Moon Bird and Running Deer were a bit scared of the bear, they realized quickly that it was friendly creature who had a teaching to share with them, much like Mr. Big Cat did. The bear’s name was Medicine Bear, and he taught Moon Bird and Running Deer the importance of expressing gratitude for all of the wonderful things that nourish them, especially the plants that give them yummy berries!
Despite the epic rainfall last week, the Fox Walkers did not hesitate to have a blast out there in the forest. On Tuesday we explored the new trail in the park, met a 90-year old tree stump named “Still Tree”, blasted down the shorter Blast Off Hill (the new trail changed the hill a bit!), and followed Pat’s stick drag trail to an epic downed tree that not only is perfect for hiding under, but also makes a great ship for sailing! On Thursday we spent lots of time gathering fallen leaves and transporting them to our shelter for additional insulation and weatherproofing. Our “Forest Home” is looking good and feeling much more rain-resistant thanks to all of the leaves!
We’re so blown away by the resiliency of this crew of kiddos. Despite the seemingly relentless cold and wet rain last week, we didn’t hear any complaints at all! We're looking forward to much drier and warmer adventures at Fairhaven this week!