March 11, 2020 – Our first Free Spirited Nature Club meeting was marvelous! We had kiddos ranging from infants to 13 year olds. After a brief introduction with parents, we called the kids over for a snack. While they snacked, we gave them a sheet with a Phenology Wheel. They filled out the March section with a drawing of something that makes them think of the month.
Once they were done with their drawings, I discussed the theme of the day. Our first theme was beavers and dam building. The fact we were meeting at Lake Hampton (with a man-made dam) made this a fun first club activity. After talking about a few beaver and dam facts, we headed down the trail to our creek destination. It was a perfect spot, not too far for mamas with littles and there was plenty of space for the kids to spread out.
They all naturally broke into groups. It was lovely to see that the groups were diverse in ages. Some groups saw this as a competition of who could build the best dam. Other groups decided to not even build dams at all. They were happy with just playing in the water or on the bridge. It was great to see (and parents comfortable with) the ones on the bridge showing risk inspired activities. They would walk on the outside of the bridge where there was a small ledge. They helped and encouraged each other. We did have one fall. The bridge was not high but it did cause some scraps. After a few Band-Aids, all was well.
I’m not sure why, but all of us parents were surprised how long the kids were engaged with this activity. Kids love water and being hands-on. We made sure that once the theme and activity idea was given, the rest was child-led.
The kids built some amazing dams! One was so well built that it did block the water flow. Some of the water forced its way in a different direction, carving out a new path. The rest pooled up into a deep pond directly behind the dam. This dam was built by multiple ages from 5-13. This proves to show that all ages can work together as a team and learn from one another.
When time to finish came, the kids took apart their dams. This way we leave the creek as we found it. “Leave no trace” is an excellent practice to implement in nature.
We finished our time at the park playing and eating lunch. We couldn’t have asked for a better first day!
