​By Cal

(Names changed to protect privacy.)
​
October 23 was a beautiful Fall day. After we arrived at Camp Barrett, Rob gathered everyone for our morning game, “Fire in the Forest.”  It’s a game based on runners and taggers.  

​When the game was over, Mary, our Coordinator rounded us up and had us walk to the Main Camp.  Hubert led the way.  
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Once we were at Main Camp, we divided into three groups.  Each group had to find and gather a different size of wood... from logs to kindling.  When the wood was collected, we built the fire structure.  Then we arranged our clay pots close to the structure and lit it. 

​Some of the larger wood we collected would be used to make spoons.  Nick also brought some pieces.  We began to prepare the wood for spoon-making. 

At lunchtime, Sara, this week’s storyteller, told us about when she inspired her teacher to dye her hair.

After lunch, we had a long debate about what game to play next.  We ended up playing a game of “Cat and Mouse,” also a tagging game.

Next, we went out exploring with Hubert and Anthony leading.  We followed the stream and noticed a lot more erosion from the last time we were there.  A lot of the trees were losing their leaves.  
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Back in camp, we worked on spoon-making, using the coals from our fire to create indentations in the wood.  

​Soon it was 2:45.  Nick had us stop our work and take our pots out of the fire. The pots were ready to take home. 

We gathered up our belongings and headed toward the parking lot.   When we were close, we did our Closing Circle and shared our favorite time of the day.    
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Then most of us played GaGa ball.  It was a fun day!

Have you seen the Natural Leaders gear list? Need some advice on what to buy for your child or what YOU might need on your next hike into the woods? Better yet...the next time your kid wants to take you on a trek into the woods, be prepared with this list to help you out!

https://www.naturalleaders.com/gear-list.html

Being outside CAN be enjoyable in any weather...with the right preparation!

By Merriam

​I will tell you a story of a deep wooded thicket.
Once upon a time there was a small cricket.
Who went into the forest, but never came out.
Did he like it there?
Or did he have doubts?
Maybe it has a beautiful pond,
or maybe something went terribly wrong.
Well, what should an animal do to find food?
When Fall is upon us & hibernation is near,
food is our BFF we need it dear.
So let’s see what a pack of animals do,
when they form an alliance, so they can find food.
 
A bunch of animals and birds consult a wise leader.
Far from the protection of their homes, except for a beaver.
They sat by the Owl to rest their talons and paws.
“You’ve made it!” said Mr. Owl who knows the natural laws.
Where are Coyote, Raccoon and Bunny?
Suddenly three animals sprinted it was so funny.
Wolf’s sister was missing and Bear’s brother was gone.
We still have enough friends to get our mission done.
But, first we must play Firekeeper to get ourselves moving.
Then navigate through the forest with flowers still blooming.
Blue Bird directed us to a big beautiful pond,
with lily pads, paw paws, and fern fronds.
Frogs, fish, and eels lived in the ponds sticky muck.
On the way to collect worms we got stuck.
Coyote cut the wriggly creatures to use for bait.
It gushed, it gooed, the worms met their fate.
We fished with a story of patience fresh on our minds.
It wasn’t too long before they made a find.

Bunny, Squirrel, and Bobcat were a great team.
They caught a Crappie Fish and hollered a scream.
Raccoon scaled and gutted the fish.
To cook him whole was everyone’s wish.
Hawk made a fire.
The taste of the fish was dire.
We jumped in the creek with a cannonball splash.
Squirrel touched poison ivy and feared a rash.
We all packed up ready to leave.
It felt like we really achieved.
Finding food was harder than we thought.
If only we had salt, pepper, oil, and a pot.
All the animals returned muddy, sandy, and wet.
Our adventure to find tasty food did not make us upset.

On a recent October day in Falls Church...
By J

We had an awesome day today! ​

We started out with a game of tail-tag, and then we learned how to play Black Widow. On our way to gather sticks and vines to make crawfish traps, we spotted a baby snake!

Mr. Nick said we should try to identify it using the picture below - see if you can find it here:

This week we have a report from our Lorton location. The biggest story of the day was a successful one-match fire IN THE RAIN! 

Students take turns each week with the necessary responsibilities a assure each class runs smoothly and safely - safety officer, story teller, field reporter, photographer, navigator, master of games (a highly coveted position!), to name a few.

Check out this field report by B (photos by J) to get a sense of what class was like last week.

This Monday we practiced our fire making skills students were challenged to light a fire with just one match. First the more experienced students were called upon by the coordinator to demonstrate fire making techniques. New students were able to observe their attempts at lighting a fire. After the demonstration E gave a fire safety presentation, instructing us in picking and clearing out the safest spot for a fire. Then L gave a story based on life experience. In anticipation of the predicted rain we went about setting up a tarp shelter to shield us from the rain while we ate lunch. After we had filled our stomachs with lunch, we split into groups. Each group was challenged to build a fire and light it with one match. During the challenge it started raining. Due to these circumstances only one team managed to light a fire with only one match but valuable experience was gained all around. After that we wrapped up by playing a game of “Fire in the Forest”. And then headed home.

Next we were all led toward the main camp. On our way there H, A and Sa (and Au. too!) fell of the same log and they made a group calling themselves the Falling Group

Once we got to main camp we ate lunch. After lunch we discussed the topic of knife safety and then we built a fire.

After we went down the hill to another part of the forest and played Ghost in the Grave Yard. It was soon the end of class so we walked up, packed up and went back to the parking lot to get picked up. It was a great day!!   

By the Red Panda Queen, age 12
Photography by Hannah, age 11
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​The wind blew foul as we gathered in a circle on the abandoned field. Despite the absence of two of our number, we were confident that we could make it through the day. We strode across the field and into the forest, despite the dangers. Nate and Ali snapped off branches to (hopefully) create a fire as we fought our way through the dense forest.

We leaped over the babbling creek and scurried up the hill to our shelter, which was still standing there, camouflaged under a bed of waterproof leaves. There Nick showed us how to minimize our visual impact on the landscape when harvesting saplings. Eyes seemed to glare at us from the shadows of the forest, and we hastily bid our farewell to the shelter and ran off.

We arrived at a new creek, and decided to set up a fire on the sandbar. We split into three groups, anxiously looking for any signs of dragons or other enemies. Hannah and Jane worked on bow-drill, while Nate and Ali created a fire structure.

After an unsuccessful attempt to split wood, Nick and Noora helped with the bow-drill. The hints of enemies were becoming more and more common, and it sped our bow-drilling. It was in vain, however, until Nick helped out. Then we managed to get a fire blazing.