Most children are born explorers and born creators. Wherever they find themselves they pick things up, they sniff and get up close, they go in for a taste. The learn from the world around them. Constantly. And once they learn how things function, they begin to explore the possibilities of what they can create, of how their ideas play out in real life.
The forest is one of my favorite settings for this to unfold. It's a living museum, teeming with life and layers upon layers of discovery. It's a brilliant maker space, an outdoor studio chock full of natural materials and supplies as deep and as wide as you can find. It's a special place where imaginations - and those who imagine - can run wild. The forest needs little else except someone who arrives with the open intention to explore all it has to offer. The creation naturally follows.
Completely open-ended experiences have a valuable place in outdoor play, where you introduce a child to a natural setting and, once they feel comfortable, see where they go and what they do. A most beautiful and inspiring process to watch. That very process was the inspiration behind our Forest Explorer Groups. For those groups, we wanted to keep sacred the importance of unstructured, child-led discovery.
As a compliment to that experience though, we wondered, what if we created another group with open-ended prompts? What if in addition to the opportunities to explore and create with natural materials, we brought certain art and tinkering supplies along with us into the forest? How could the possibilities for exploration and creation expand?
Forest Creators Groups
And so, the idea of our Forest Creator Groups began to grow. Taking part in nature-based art projects with children is nothing new, but that's not exactly what we were seeking. We wanted to do more than that. We sought to take the curiosity and empowerment and personal growth we saw unfold from our Forest Explorers Groups and merge that with tools, supplies, prompts and themes. Give a group of children an idea and let them run with it, see what they create.
The first session, many seasons ago, was surprising in all the ways one would hope. It was messy, wild, silly and full of moments, big and small, where the imagination of a child sparked a flurry of ideas in the group at large.
The day we bought paint brushes and canvasses and buckets of water for mud art, the children started off slow - as it was with most weeks. They painted strokes of mud gently, they added a few blades of grass to their art. Then a child stomped in a forming mud puddle and used their muddy feet to stomp on their canvas. Foot art! The ideas snowballed. Hand art! Sticks as brushes! Sticks as sign posts to display their canvasses! A mud art parade marching around a clearing!
Kids are too great.
There is something special about watching their thought processes come alive, or watching a group of children build off of each other's ideas in excitement. We've watched this happen time and time again, week after week, in new or slightly different ways. New prompts, different supplies, a change in season, a child finding their voice - it all had an influence. And with adults engaged, not focused on the product of a child's time, rather focused on the process, exciting creative experiences began to unfold. As did an understanding and a respect for the natural world around us.
A Call for New Groups
With a new season upon us, we're thrilled to currently have a number of Forest Creator Groups across the United States. We're always looking for new groups who want to get started any season, any location - within the US or abroad.
And when we say our group leaders are parent volunteers - no experience necessary, just a love for watching child-led discovery unfold - we truly mean it. Parents, you are incredible guides and observers of your children. Not sure if you'd be completely comfortable taking the lead or dealing with mess or facing potential things that make you go boo in the woods? Check out our posts here, here and here to baby step your way there.
From one of our parent leaders in New Jersey,
I wasn't much of an outdoor person to begin with, so becoming a forest school leader was going way beyond my comfort zone. I am afraid of bears and bugs, and I don't like cold air or rain. But becoming a forest leader has been the best thing I've done all year. I have been on more hikes, breathed more fresh air, and found more like-minded friends than since I was a little kid! And watching my children explore and play outdoors is a gift I am giving them that I hope they will take into their adult lives.
And from a parent participant,
Forest school is our favorite part of the week. We so appreciate having a group of families to share a love of the outdoors with. My daughter is never more adventurous and peaceful than when she's out exploring the forest with her friends. We love the open-ended projects and most of all the unstructured time to just be outside in rain, snow, or shine.
Forest Creator Details
Here are some of the details of a typical Forest Creator Group:
- Meets weekly for a full season, typically 12 weeks long
- Leaders are parent volunteers, groups include like-minded families with a mixed age group
- Leaders receive a season-specific curriculum, including 12 weeks of prompts and supplies for all registered families
- Leaders brainstorm with our group coordinator about logistics and flow of the group experience
- All ages and abilities welcome
- All weather exploration
If you'd like to have an experience for your child to be outdoors, taking the lead in exploring or creating alongside other children, we are excited to help you make that possible.
Interested in finding a group near you? Click here. Interested in exploring what it would look like to start a group near you? Click here.
See you in the forest!
