BY STACY RICCI
Growing up in Garrison myself, I've always loved exploring local trails in the woods. When Forest Fridays started up this past fall, I jumped at the chance to take the kindergarten children on their first official trip there. On our first visit in mid-October, we went for a walk to observe all the different things around us (colors, sounds, textures, types of leaves, etc.). We also brought Mrs. VanDekker with us and did a mindfulness/listening activity. The children had so much fun that we went up a second time that same month.
Growing up in Garrison myself, I've always loved exploring local trails in the woods. When Forest Fridays started up this past fall, I jumped at the chance to take the kindergarten children on their first official trip there. On our first visit in mid-October, we went for a walk to observe all the different things around us (colors, sounds, textures, types of leaves, etc.). We also brought Mrs. VanDekker with us and did a mindfulness/listening activity. The children had so much fun that we went up a second time that same month.
On our second trip, we followed a different trail and just walked as far as time would allow to explore a new place before having to double back. This time we brought along clear plastic bags... we wanted to see if we could collect different colors and shades of the rainbow through collecting different types of leaves. The kids were so excited to show off their findings and genuinely had a great time on each visit! The nice thing about Forest Friday is you don't necessarily have to have a specific plan – you can simply just explore, go for a walk, and enjoy being outdoors.
Photos © 2015 Stacy Ricci
Photos © 2015 Stacy Ricci