Forest Fun

After days of rain and gloomy skies the sun was out again yesterday and we were ready!  We spent the entire afternoon on a mission in the forest to find the perfect stick.  Sticks are magical.  Everybody needs a stick (just like everyone needs a rock..but that will come).  Too often we regard sticks as dangerous and dismiss them quickly.  Stick are an important tool for explovery (exploration & discovery).  As with any new tool we need to learn how to safely use our stick.  Sticks are not weapons but tools for explovery and they need to be treated with care by the owner and those around.
Yesterday we talked about what makes a perfect stick.  Here are some criteria:

• armpit length is ideal
• it shouldn't extend past your chin (in reality, for adults, you don't want to past the top of your head)
• you should be able to stand up straight and hold your stick to the ground without bending down
• you should be able to wrap your hand around it and have your fingers touch
• it should be sturdy enough to dig vigourously and tap on things without snapping off
• it should feel just right in your hand
• try it both ways until one end feels best as the handle

We'll be back in the forest again for another searching session as some of our friends were absent or weren't able to find the perfect stick.  We plan to personalize our sticks with paint, ribbon, beads, etc.  They are a work in progress.  Our sticks will accompany us on many of our outdoor adventures.

While in the forest we found a gnome in a tree stump!  What a good hiding spot!

The best part of fall are the leaves.  We had a lot of fun creating a leaf storm.