Wow, did we ever have a fabulous first day in the forest!  I think it was particularly significant for Carrie and me, as we have both spent many years visiting the site but hadn't been their since last December.  The warm weather was an added plus!

Our focus for the day was spring.  We began in the lower field talking about birds that have already migrated back to Vermont, including red-winged blackbirds, which were visible and vocal all around us.  We talked about the message they were giving with their call of "conk-la-ree" and who it was intended for.  Right now it is the male blackbirds that have come back and they are trying to assert their territory in anticipation of nesting.  There message is telling other males to kindly go to a different space! We played a red-winged blackbird tag game before heading into the woods.

While we ate our snack in the forest Carrie told a story called "Spring Defeats Winter."  Children were invited to create their own spring wands, followed by time to explore our forest space. We ended by choosing sit spots, a place that we will visit each week where we can sit quietly, listen and watch the forest, sip tea, and write in journals.  We are looking forward to many more fantastic weeks of ECO in the woods.