Stories From the Forest 2020

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we cancelled our programming and
transitioned our stories to online resources.
For information to access videos, please contact 
​[email protected]
Story 1 - Marvin the Meadow Vole
After watching the video your child will probably want to go for an adventure (that’s what we do at Forest Play).  Take some time to lie on your belly and look closely at things.  Find some places where there is a lot of snow and where the snow has started to melt.  Why is it melted in some areas and not others?  Can you see any evidence of little animals who live under the snow?
Story 2 - Coyote's Game
Today’s story may inspire some playful hiding and seeking and rolling in the snow.  It’s a wonderful time to let your inner child shine.  One of the gifts of this unplanned time with our kids is to be playful.  Find some great hiding places.  Would any animals hide in the place where you are hiding?  Which ones?  What kind of things make a good hiding spot- open areas with deep snow?  Dense spruce trees?  Aspen trees?  What clues help you find the people who are hiding (sound, tracks, visible parts of clothing?).
Story 3 - Under the Ice
After watching the video, go explore the woods and see what “natural mysteries” you can find.  Are there trees you walk by every day that have woodpecker holes or other evidence of wildlife living there?  Are there ponds or waterways near your house where there is evidence of beavers or muskrats?  If so, what are they doing right now?  How do they stay warm in winter?
Story 4 - Beyond the Edge of the Path
This story is all about adventure and what can happen when we move beyond the “edge of the path” and explore some new places near our home by following our instincts.  If we enter into the adventure with the spirit of curiosity and our senses wide open, it is amazing what we can find.  Let yourself wander with the kids and see where their interests take you.  Be curious with them and use questions (who, what, when, where, why, I wonder….) to draw the children deeper into the things they find.
Story 5 - Late Night Rescue
This story sees Snowflake and Icicle wake up late one evening to go and help a flying squirrel reconnect with family.  In part, the story is about finding comfort and this may be a good time to go out and explore the woods to find a place that is comfortable or to see if there is a place of comfort somewhere in or near your house.  What do we need to feel comfortable and safe?  What do animals need?  As you travel in the forest, can you find where the squirrels, chickadees, deer or other animals would find comfort and safety?  You may be surprised at the insights your children have  - we often are!
Story 6 - Sounds of Spring
On our travels in the forest the past few days, our ears have been treated to some sounds we haven’t heard in many months.  Even though the snow is falling and it is still cool outside, some of the birds that left for winter are starting to return!   Have you heard any new sounds in the forest this week?  Have you been able to see who is making the sound?  If you sit really quietly in the woods what is the sound that is closest to you?  What sound is furthest away?  Using our sense of hearing changes how we feel and it often helps us to be quieter and more calm both inside and out. 
Dogwood Wreath - Craft
Story 7 - Changes
We are in the midst of major changes in our personal and business lives.  Our kids are probably enjoying some of the changes and not liking others.  This story is about changes and some of the emotions that come with changes we don’t necessarily like.  The story explores these emotions through animals in the forest dealing with the changing weather and season.  As you go on your adventure with your children in the forest, look for signs of change - what new sounds can you hear? (Robins and song sparrows are back), how has the snow changed?  Are there activities that we can’t do as well any more with the melting snow, and other activities that we can now do instead?  What ways can we embrace the new while giving gratitude for the passing of the old?
Story 8 - Rusty the Robin
Over the weekend, we heard the Robins and Song Sparrows singing.  It was warm, snow was melting and we were happy to hear the return of some of our bird friends.  Winter now feels like it is back and we were imagining what a Robin might feel like in the cold blowing snow and reflecting on how people respond when things are not to our liking or when they end up like they are not “supposed to be.”  This story comes from that imagining.  As you and your kids look outside for the next few days at the blowing snow, how do you feel?  Is there a place you go (either inside or out) that is a place of comfort and warmth that you can go to even if things are not as you want them to be?  Go outside even when it is cold and find a place where a Robin or a deer might huddle to stay warm and sheltered.  Look for the thick parts of the forest where the spruce trees grow.  Are there tracks or sign of animals in that area?
Story 9 - Bear Wakes Up
This story is about a bear that wakes up and what it needs to do after hibernating all winter.  It’s a fun story and even though winter feels like it is back for a little while, the bears are waking up and wandering around.  We didn’t find any fresh sign of bears, but after telling this story, we did find some claw marks on an aspen tree nearby that look like they could have been from last year.  Let us know if you find any signs of animals on your travels in the woods - hair, scat, chewed bark and cones are all signs that can be found in addition to tracks!
Story 10 - The Kindness Stick
This story is about how good it feels to be helped and to offer help to others.  Listen to the story and see if your kids would be interested in making a kindness stick like the elves in the story.  How does it make you feel?  Could you give your stick away at the end to someone who needs it like the elves did for Magpie?
Story 11 - Becoming your Favourite Animal
The story today is all about changing into our favourite animal - what would it feel like?  How does that animal move?  What senses does it use most?  How can you tell?  What other animals does it need to be wary of and how does it stay safe?  Within the nature connection work we do, we often talk about “animal forms.”  When you go outside with your child, can they mimic the movement of their favourite animal?  Can they run/hop/slide like their favourite animal?  Where would they go to be safe?  Can you go there too or find where the animal has been by looking for tracks, nests, trails?  Have fun and let your inner child have fun too - both you and your child could share some great laughs becoming your favourite animals!  Understanding of animals comes through imitation. 
Story 12 - Tea Potluck
We hope you’ve been enjoying the warmer weather the past couple of days!  Snowflake and Icicle are starting to melt… or at least prepare for the transition from winter to spring when Bud and Bloom will take over responsibilities for the forest and the animals living here.  You will see that in today’s story there is a review of some of the animals Snowflake and Icicle have helped since Winter break.  They are planning a big “Tea Potluck” to mark their time to leave the forest.  It is a great time for you to go out with your kids and find some wild ingredients for your own tea potluck.  You’ll find the following ingredients available in the forests near your house: spruce needles, pine needles, Douglas fir needles, juniper berries (the blue ones are ripe), Labrador tea (if you live in an area where there is more moisture), rose hips.
Today’s story is recorded in audio only with the thought it will be easier to transport outside and listen to while you are in the woods OR that you can listen to it while you are drawing in your journals, finger knitting or doing other crafts.
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Final Winter Story - The Big Celebration!
With the big melt, the winter elves have had their final tea potluck and made their journey further north.  In this story, Snowflake and Icicle host the final potluck and invite many of the animals they helped over the course of the winter.  As your kids listen to the story, they will probably remember many of the adventures with these animals and the challenges the elves helped the animals through. What animals would they invite to a tea potluck if they were to host one?  Would it just be animals that are here in winter or maybe some of the spring arrivals too? Let us know what animals on your invitation list!
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