By Marcy Fratzke, Director of Education
Recently, Creekside Forest School has been tapping into its name, and spending more time exploring the creekside grounds of the Penningroth Barn and splashing around in Indian Creek.
Although it is just down the road, the barn feels like a big adventure to the kids and has quickly become one of their favorite spots to spend our days learning and growing together. There is a downed tree near the confluence of Indian Creek and the Cedar River that provides the ideal spot to build confidence in climbing, while simultaneously offering the perfect vantage point for counting train cars as they pass. Students have spent many hours sitting on the banks of Cedar River, sorting through the sand in search of the perfect rock and watching bald eagles swoop down to catch lunch. Week after week, the students beg to go back to the barn.
Creekside Forest School educators strongly believe in the importance of play-based education. We allow time in our rhythm for unstructured play, where imagination flourishes and cooperative play emerges as children create their own sense of the world. We open the door to learning experiences by allowing our students to create and explore the world around them and follow their curiosity. Sitting on the sand and sorting through rocks allows us to develop the early math skill of classifying, while also increasing language skills as we ask the students to describe why they sort the rocks the way they do. Play is the important work of young learners.
Just as important as being play based, our program is also place based. We work hard to facilitate a relationship between our students and the land. We are so fortunate to have the entirety of the Indian Creek Nature Center campus to serve as our classroom. There is nothing more rewarding than watching a child take ownership of their space. They quickly become fierce protectors of the land and all of the living things that call it home. It is not uncommon to see a group of students engaging in a worm rescue on a rainy day, or sharing the saying, “we can collect it or protect it” when admiring beautiful blooms in the prairie.
Watching the relationship expand to the land at Penningroth Barn this past year has been something really special to witness. We’ve been able to observe the way the water of Indian Creek rises and falls and practice our bird calls while chattering with the cardinals and blue jays that call the treetops home. The open lawn space to the east of the barn is the perfect place to play the classic childhood games of “Duck, Duck, Goose” and “What Time is it Mr. Fox?” Not only has the time spent at the barn formed new connections with our youngest Champions of Nature, but several of our program parents have enjoyed sharing with their children the Nature Center they grew up visiting.
As the fourth year of Creekside Forest School kicks off this fall, we are excited to share all of our favorite places around the campus with our newest students and families. We are especially eager to share the Penningroth Barn land and see where imagination and curiosity guide our learning.
