Last week we held our first full-day nature program! When school was out for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we explored the forest, created nature-based art, played games and told stories. It was a great day!

We examined leaves and explored their shapes and details by creating prints of them. First an image of their silhouette was created, then a print that showed those same leaves' unique details.

Exploring outside and playing games in the forest kept us warm, even though the wind was chilly. All the kids came prepared to be outside on this January day but we also have a handful of warm layers available for borrowing in case something extra is needed.

We played a forest version of hide-and-seek. Can you spot the kids in the photo above?

Some bright red fungi caught our attention so we brought a sample back into the classroom. The six children paired up, each pair with their own guidebook, and worked hard to identify it. They compared photos and text from each different book, examining their specimen closely to see if it matched the description. The finally all agreed that they had found a scarlet cup fungus, (Sarcoscypha coccinea.)