What does rain taste like to you? Does rain taste differently under a cedar tree? How fast is the water moving today?
Every Wednesday, the K-1 classes at Forest Grove Elementary get together with the Strong Start and go for a wander and wonder in the forest. No matter the weather, everyone bundles up and troops out to enjoy the fresh air and explore the environment.
On the day I visited with Dawn Howey, Ros Duchesneau and Tanya Nicoll, the weather could only be described as a deluge. But not even nature’s torrents could dampen the spirits of the students. They enthusiastically stomped through the puddles, explored the raindrops using all their senses, and took turns measuring the speed of the water by counting how long a stick took to traverse a tunnel. They investigated the area using magnifying glasses. They hiked up a hill to their usual story spot and talked about homes in the rain.
Forest Grove has turned this into a tradition–and it is connecting the students to their neighbourhood and nature.
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