A Day in the Enchanted Forest

Every Thursday we meet up in a forest with our homeschool group. It is definitely one of the highlights of our week. It is such an inspiring group of parents and kids and we always have a great time. The kids run around in the forest playing while the parents mostly sit and chat, often exchanging homeschooling ideas. I created this group about a year after moving to CA. I wasn't finding our tribe so I decided to put a call out on social media for exactly what we were looking for. This amazing group is the result. Never be shy to put yourself out there. Most likely, there are others out there searching for what you are too!

We started our morning with some reading together on the couch over breakfast and then miss 11 decided she wanted to do some felting and try some techniques out of her new felting book by Dani Ives (linked under the resources tab). She spent awhile listening to audio stories while felting. She is my artist. She could do art all day every day and is always looking to improve her skills. She is self taught and also taught through Outschool classes and the Skillshare website. If you haven't, check it out for resources/classes on so many different topics.

While miss 11 was felting, miss 9 and I read together some more. She is my veracious reader. I never really sat down and taught her how to read but rather we read together night and day and she also played some reading games like Reading Eggs and Teach Your Monster to Read. Then, one day it just clicked and she was off and running reading all the books. There really is no reason to stress about them reading. They will when it is time and when it clicks. I'll write more on that in another post. Today, after reading together, she decided she wanted a break to play. She played with her stuffed animals and while I did some cleaning in the kitchen.

Then, it was time to meet our friends in the forest! Yay! The kids come up with their own games and things to play while there using only what the forest has to offer. In the past they have made different villages, a stage for plays and a currency using pine cones. Lots of learning happening in all of that. Math, organization, leadership, cooperation and more! As you can see, there are a lot of amazing creatures to find and learn about here in Northern CA. Mushrooms are miss 11's favorite thing to photograph and research. And, banana slugs always draw the crowds.

It was a fun few hours in the forest and then we headed home for some Minecraft time with friends until dinner was ready. All in all a beautiful day for sure <3!