Our sweet group of Forest Explorer parents and kids has been meeting all summer at the Lye Brook Falls trailhead in the Green Mountain National Forest in Southwest Vermont. Some weeks we had big groups and some small, but each time we came out of the forest soothed, satisfied, and glad that we took the time to explore. Folks have commented that these forest gatherings have been amazing for their kids.
To continue the momentum this Fall, our leader Esther Mandelheim Elliott would like to continue to lead the Explorers Group, and also add a 10-week Creators Group, which has an activity component and a small sign-up fee. More info here: https://forestschoolforall.com/join/
And to inspire participation in more Forest play, we will screen a film that originally inspired Esther to lead a Forest Explorers group: "School's Out: Lessons from a Forest Kindergarden". It is a short documentary about a forest kindergarten in Switzerland, "where being outdoors and unstructured play are the main components." Synopsis below.
"No classroom for these kindergarteners. In Switzerland's Langnau am Albis, a suburb of Zurich, children 4 to 7 years of age go to kindergarten in the woods every day, no matter what the weather. This eye-opening film follows the forest kindergarten through the seasons of one school year and looks into the important question of what it is that children need at that age. There is laughter, beauty and amazement in the process of finding out."
Please join us for the screening on Wednesday, August 24 @ 10:30 AM in the downstairs conference room at the Manchester Community Library.
Bring your kids! There will be adults to watch them in the kids room.
