Monday, December 2, 2013

Giving Thanks

This was our last session of fall quarter and we had yet another glorious time in the woods. The weather head out and we enjoyed all nature had to offer. We were grateful for the company we kept and the delights we discovered.

 Tuesday Froglets balanced and played and explored. We found huge amounts of Witches' Butter (a common jelly fungus, the bright yellow growth on the logs) and in the end made our very own candle holders. 

Tuesday Frogs romped as usual. Boundless energy poured in to all aspects of the afternoon. "A" brought a notebook for everyone to draw in and sign. "H" took the task very seriously.  Finally the candle holders were met with enthusiasm unmatched by any other craft this session! We even practiced how to "blow out" our flameless candles. 



Wednesday Froglets followed a new trail previously undiscovered by anyone anywhere! We chased the sunlight to stay warm and practiced with our flameless candles. Waving a hand to make them come alive!



Thursday Tadpoles were amazing! We saw some bravery from each little frog today. Hugged some trees, relaxed in a fort, and balanced on a log...on a hill!



I'm so proud of all of you!
Thank you for joining us in the woods this fall. 
I hope to see all of you in the future! 


Thursday, November 14, 2013

Forest Friends Found Frolicking Frequently!

Whew! That was a mouthful! But really we saw a fair amount of squirrels this week. Not so many bears, raccoons, or big foot though...  Just have to keep trying!

Tuesday Froglets found new houses in Fairy Valley, pine needle slides, and even a tree split in half! That is my hand reaching through. 


Tuesday Frogs experimented with camouflage, added to the fairy houses, found Eeyore's house, and even had time for a nap. This bunch went from one end of the park to the other yet again! We even ran up and down the same hill a few times.



Wednesday Froglets were content to hang out at the creek and play. We fished, made cooking utensils, a fire pit, and had time to make some hearts out of twigs.



Thursday Tadpoles took a new trail today which proved quite the challenge! Everyone made it up the hill and we enjoyed a dance party before story time.



Thursday, November 7, 2013

Leaf Me in the Woods!

It was Leaf week at Froggy Holler!! We were at Boeing Creek this week learning all things leafy.  They may also have been some wading at some point also perhaps leaf crowns/camouflage hats. 

Tuesday Froglets came prepared to explore. We even had one froggy end up sitting in the creek. It was ok, he didn't seem to mind. There was some burrowing in the hollow at the base of a tree as well as a lot of log balancing!



Tuesday Frogs made the arduous journey all the way to Hidden Lake! There was peril and terror, and not a little bit of courage. We made it all the way only to realize the books never made it in to my bag. No matter Teacher Kathleen saved the day with her nook and E read to us again.



Wednesday Froglets leapt in to leaf crowns with gusto and trekked to the waterfall and back. Sand was everywhere from the beach by the creek! L even made a fish out of leaves! 



Thursday Tadpoles had to reschedule due to the wind and storm. We will make this up soon! 



Monday, November 4, 2013

Batty For Bats!


This week we focused on our insect and fruit eating friends, the bats! We dressed up with bat wings and flew around Hamlin Park with gusto! Some of us even did some trick flights off logs.

Tuesday Froglets got started on a new fort. They were ever in motion and my poor camera could not keep up! So many blurry photos today! 


Tuesday Frogs visited spear hill where we explored the hillside covered in ivy, saved rolling backpacks from the hill of doom, and skillfully evaded capture by the Fun Run! Whew!


Wednesday Froglets embraced the bat wings to their fullest potential. Especially when it came to showing off the wings in flight! 


Thursday Tadpoles came dressed to impress on Halloween! We had a fox, a princess, and even a bat!! 



Friday, October 25, 2013

Owl Week!

While owl week did not yield any owl sighting we were able to hone our skills and pretend to be owls. Masks were the project of the week and true to form I managed to only get two photos of froggies as owls. Ah well. 

Tuesday Froglets explored boundaries and abilities, jumping and balancing on logs and monkeying around. We found hundreds of mushrooms and enjoyed the fine froggy weather!



Tuesday Frogs were on a mission all afternoon and were focused and determined. We hiked 2.4 miles!! (according to my hiking app) and even got to dissect an owl pellet!! It was determined to be a small rodent of some kind.


Wednesday Froglets dove in with gusto and won the distance award this week with a whopping 2.9 miles!! Granted a lot of that was spent chasing each other around Owl Valley. I don't know about anyone else, but I slept like a log that night!
 


Thursday Tadpoles explored Spiderman Trail and we found SO MANY spider webs!! They were all highlighted by the fog and simply gorgeous!! 



Thursday, October 17, 2013

Trees!

Tree week began with sunny mornings and lots of log play! Maybe the sun will continue to grace us with it's presence for the rest of the year???? ;) 

Tuesday Froglets spent a lot of time with this log. Unfortunately the "train" broke down and we were forced to hike back to civilization. 

Tuesday Frogs found a balancing/leaping log and spent some time perfecting their flight to the ground. We found witches butter (fungus) and loads of mushrooms. 





Wednesday Froglets got to do some bark rubbings and found a stump covered with tiny tiny mushrooms!! We thought they must have been planted by fairies.


Thursday Tadpoles made sure to explore all facets of trees. We even got inside a log! We found the fairy stump covered in mushrooms as well and these guys gave some great photo ops!




Monday, October 14, 2013

Feathered Friends: With Bird Seed Ornament Directions!

Tuesday am Froglets took snacks out for the birds (and squirrels), found a creek to splash in, and we made friends with many worms, potato bugs, fungi, and spiders!! 


Tuesday Frogs explored Elf Cove, got stuck (if only to surprise us!) in a log, and of course continued to feed the squirrels. OH!! I mean birds.


Wednesday Froglets tore through the woods at breakneck speed to get the birds their special snacks! We saw some pretty fat squirrels as well. I'm getting suspicious...


Wednesday Frogelts also made a trip to Spear Hill where we practiced our stick throwing.


Thursday Tadpoles bore the brunt of my lack of photo taking this week. Although they seemed to be the more through when it came to spreading the bird seed. 

The recipe for the bird seed ornaments is here:

http://www.saltwater-kids.com/2010/12/thrifty-gifts-bird-seed-ornaments-for.html


You'll Need:
3/4 cup flour 
1/2 cup water
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
3 tbsp. corn syrup
4 cups birdseed
molds (muffin tin, cookie cutters, etc.)
nonstick spray
drinking straw
waxed paper
ribbon/twin

1: Combine the flour, water, gelatin and corn syrup in a large mixing bowl. Stir until well-combined.

2: Add the birdseed to the mixture, stir until well coated.

3: Spray your mold(s) with cooking spray, and spoon birdseed mixture into each mold. Use the bottom of a measuring cup to pack it down, and make the top smooth. Poke a hole through top of each birdseed mold using a drinking straw, making sure it goes all the way through.

4: Leave the birdseed mixture in the molds for two to three hours. (I used olive oil to make my molds non stick, then just slid them out to dry) Then, remove the straws and lay out a sheet of waxed paper. Gently remove the hardened ornaments from the mold, and place them on the wax paper upside down. Allow them to dry for at least two to three more hours, or overnight. 

5: Cut your ribbon and carefully put it through the hole.  





Beach Day!

Tuesday Morning Froglets splish splashed and found tons of crabs! 


Tuesday Afternoon Frogs created cities in the sand, a castle complete with a tidal wall, and even a caterpillar! 



Wednesday Froglets were wet little froggies! The wind blew, and the rain pelted us until all we could do was head to the shelter and chase the crows to keep warm. Even a pirate fort couldn't hold us on the beach ;) 

Thursday tadpoles enjoyed sunshine again and the pirate fort was a hit. The tide was even low enough for seastars!






Monday, September 30, 2013

Under A Log!!

This week we explored the creepies and crawlies found under logs and rocks. There were some spiders thrown in for good measure as well as some teamwork and and good 'ole mud! I'm still getting in to the swing of things especially if it means remembering to bring the camera! I will work on that. ;)


Tuesday Froglets 
We all got down and dirty!
"I'm an otter!" -C

Tuesday Frogs
Working together, tiny objects, and secret buggy writing on a stick.

This was a case of a froglet finding himself stuck, and five frogs rushing to his aid. So proud!!


Thursday Tadpoles

We really tromped all over on Thursday! These little froggys were full of energy. Look how brave they are!!