PLANNING GUIDELINES:
The purpose of Forest School Families is to create community and support for unstructured free play in nature with others in all weather. We believe that free play and exploration in nature is an inherently human activity and essential for the mental health and proper development of our children (& ourselves). Please choose locations and activities that honor this.
-Locations should have a large wild space
-Ice breaker activities, group games, lessons, crafts or themes for the week should be optional, take less than 30 minutes and should be specific to and encourage connection with the location & it’s inhabitants or current season/weather we are experiencing. Team building games/activities that include the terrain/environment we are in are also great. Please no lengthy naturalist led hikes or lectures.
-Plan to be spending a lot or all of our time in a wild space and include at least a short hike every week
-Locations should be within a 40 minute drive from Anderson. Every 8 weeks we will venture further out into the state for special adventure day sessions.
-If very cold weather is likely consider a fire friendly location
-In early spring when undergrowth plants first start coming up take care to avoid delicate woodland areas for free play locations
LEADERSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES:
-Choose a specific start point and a location for free play (see above)
-Bring firewood & dry kindling if a fire is desired
-Plan a short optional icebreaker activity, lesson or game (see above)
-Set & announce checkpoints or guidelines on hikes so kids can run and the group can stay together
-Set & announce boundaries for free play area
-Lead the opening circle: call everyone in at 10:10am, make space for a short get-to-know-you activity or question or check in, announce the agenda for the day
-Lead the closing circle: call everyone in at 12:50pm, make space for sharing challenges/conflicts and what went well for everyone (happy and crappy, roses and thorns), dismiss the group and make sure we are near our cars or at least that everyone knows how to find their way back (optional but awesome when it does happen)
*You can also enlist adult or older child helpers to do any of these things rather than do them yourself
*If you are sick/have an emergency and cannot make it to the day you signed up for you may trade with someone else but locations will stay the same as planned. If no one is willing/available we will switch to a free day and do free play at the location you selected.
GROUP OWNED TOOLS & SUPPLIES
If you need to purchase something check with Sybilla first. We usually have a little stash in our communal bank.
-35 clip boards
-several small bug observation cases
-30+ camp mugs
-6 farro rod fire strikers
-3 high quality magnifying glasses
-1 nice pair of binoculars
-toy binoculars & magnifying glasses
-huge bag of mud kitchen/creek/sand play toys and tools including buckets, nets, shovels, etc
-12 blind folds
-dozens of kid scissors and glue sticks
-bag of markers, crayons and colored pencils
-6 kid sized hot glue guns
-10 or 12 heavily used water color palates
-dozens of paint brushes
Let Sybilla know what you need and you can come get it ahead of time from her house or she can bring it.
LOCATION IDEAS:
Locations that can endure trampling in early spring:
Minnestrista Nature Area
Cool Creek Nature Play Area
River walk trail in Anderson
Dutro Ernst
Mounds Park boat launch area
Koteewi (area with native american shelters)
Flatfork Creek Park
Falls Park creekside
Morrow’s Meadow in Yorktown
Locations that allow fires:
Green Township Community Park
Mounds State Park woodland shelter
Any state park (we can rent a campsite for a fire ring & many have shelters with fire places)
Other locations:
Falls Park in Pendleton North Entrance, trails or creek
Mounds State Park Earthwork D
Summit Lake State Park