With four weeks of ECO under our belts, our weekly trips to the forest are starting to feel familiar.  Much of our time in these weeks has centered on learning and practicing ECO routines and expectations and exploring our ECO space. All of our expectations are encompassed in the three cares: take care of yourself, take care of each other, and take care of the earth. Some very specific expectations that we have learned are our forest boundaries, how to be safe around our safety circle (which is where we will eventually have a fire), and how to treat all living things with respect while we are guests in their space.

Each week during ECO we follow the same general structure with variations in the game, story,  and guided exploration. When we first get off the bus, we stop in the field to share something we are thankful for, sing a song, and play an active game. We then make our way up to the forest, using our senses to notice anything interesting along the way. When we arrive in the forest we gather around the safety circle to share our nature notes, eat snack, and listen to a story. This is followed by our guided exploration for the week. So far we have built red eft houses, collected forest items and written recipes for a forest, and looked closely at decomposers in the forest. Most weeks we have a bit of time for forest choice as well. We end by visiting our sit spots, where children sit quietly, writing or drawing in journals if they choose. Then we pack up and begin our walk back to school.