Trekkers began their hike at Tikishla Park on a very chilly morning. We found a fort in the trees at the start of our hike and remembered the fort we found on our last trek. An idea was born.
We began collecting sticks in our sled with plans to build a fort for other hikers to find.
We continued onto Little Park, collecting sticks along the way.
We noticed the sun hitting the tops of the trees.
We removed all the snow from a big boulder.
We covered up some unsightly moose droppings.
We basked in the warm sunshine.
By the time we got to Little Park, we were hungry. NEVER underestimate the importance of a hearty snack on a cold day. Peppermint tea hit the spot.
The slides were slippery and shot trekkers out like a pinball.
Our fort turned out to be quite lovely.
The fun for the trekkers was in the finding of the sticks. There was not much interest in the building of the fort. I took on that task with little help. As I built, I thought about how much fun the kids had hunting for sticks and exploring the trails as they hunted. Kids enjoy finding things. Although my focus was building the fort, the kids found the hunt to be the most fun. The freedom to explore independently gave the trekkers the opportunity to chose their activity and fully participate in their adventure, their learning and their fun. As an educator I will remember to be flexible in my plans and follow the energy of the kids. There is so much potential for learning when kids can direct their own fun. And, I thoroughly enjoyed the simple pleasure of building a stick teepee.
Although there was not enough snow for any serious snow angel-making,
trekkers found sections of deep drifted snow and enjoyed plowing through.
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