Welcome, October!

Our first day that was truly feeling a bit fall. Warm, yet crisp and sunny! We started the morning with some coloring pages of some familiar animal friends. 

Oran always has an interesting book to share with us. 

The sun poured in and the blue sky sparkled. 

So important to fill our bellies with snack before we set out for the morning. 

Our nature table featured some new sensory explorations. Children were invited to combine lavender, grape leaves, and mint using a mortar and pestle, creating new calming and revitalizing smells. 

The path to the Golden Birch Woods isn't always clear! Children used their bodies and minds to navigate over fallen trees, around swampy areas and away from thorny brambles. 

We've starting learning about identifying wild edibles in the forest. Amias shows us a partridge berry, common around here. The surest way to identify a partridge berry is by its low growing vine and the "two eyes", or small white dots. 

Forest art! 

It's important to test tree branches for strength when we climb. We found many of these to be weak and brittle, so decided it was safest to only climb to the V in the trunk. 

All worked together, breaking and finding sticks to build a shelter. Soon it became a bunny home, where the bunnies gathered and stored their food for winter. 

Hello, Slug! 

Katie spotted this huge Artists Conk Mushroom and since it was growing with a big family of others, we decided to harvest it for some Wren's Nest art. All children had a section to add their contributions too. 

We're a big fan of collections here at Wren's Nest...

We also encountered and learned about wild ginger! Easily identified by its heart shaped leave and brown flower that lives close to the ground. We had a little scratch and sniff of this spicy wild find. 

It was truly the perfect day for a picnic! Not too hot, sunny, a bit of wind...ahhh....

We soaked it up as best we could! 

Busy mornings make for tired Wren's Nesters. We cozied up inside while Katie read us Roxaboxen by Alice McLarren, a Wren's Nest favorite. 

We enjoyed the last part of the afternoon out in the big field, playing kitties, rolling down the hill, and officially marking our sit spots with colored ribbons. 

Two children in their chosen sit spots, places we will get to know as the year goes on. 

Another perfect day of Wren's Nest!