Waldspielgruppe (Forest-play-group)

Wald=forest
Spiel=play
Gruppe=group

I think I miss waldspielgruppe more than Maddie does.  I don't want to forget any detail.  What an amazing experience it was and I hope to keep these memories close.  I've even toyed with the idea of somehow creating something similar here.  Maybe when I have more time on my hands.

Here are a few pictures of what we did every Thursday morning, 9-11:30am, in the tiny town of Egetswil ("Egg-ets-veel").

All the parents parked at this intersection of gravel farm road at the top of a little village on a hill of farm land.  Once everyone arrived, we stood in a circle, held hands, and sang a welcoming song.  Then the parents left and the kids followed their teacher with all their backpacks piled in a wagon that she pulled.  They walked all the way up to those woods.  Maybe it's about 1/4 mile or a little more?  Not sure.

Almost there.  You can see our white car.  They walked by themselves in all their gear, in the snow, rain, and sun.

Just inside the trees, they had set up "camp" with tree stumps for chairs and a tarp draped and hung like a tent.  They even had a place to hang their backpacks and a fort that they built with sticks.

They played.  They built a fire almost every week unless it was a warmer day.  When they build a fire, they all collect sticks, they even have little hand saws to "help" cut wood.  They had a snack, usually sausage or soup on the fire, apples, carrots, and juice or water.

While up there, they do a variety of things.  The boys usually gather with some trucks on a big dirt pile.  The girls play in the fort.  The teacher may read to them about different trees/leaves/bugs native to the area and they will go on a treasure hunt looking for some.  Then they will come back together, laying all their findings out and trying to identify them.  She may read them a book.  They may try to make different instruments from things they find in the forest.  She brings some different noise makers that they play with.  They sing songs.  They run around and jump on the stumps, dig in the dirt, go to the bathroom behind a tree, and just run around together.

While one teacher cleans up and organizes, the other reads to the kids.

Running back down the path to greet parents was always exciting.

About halfway down to the cars, there's a fork in the road and they always stop to get everyone caught up, sing a song, then continue.

The best part: kids can get as dirty as they want and do all the things we typically say "no" to which is amazing.

Once all the parents and children were together, we held hands again singing a song, thanking the forest and singing goodbye to everyone.

This is what childhood should be like...building forts, being outside, exploring, given responsibilities like helping to gather wood for the fire, at just 3-4 years old.  It's a great mixture of fun, freedom, and responsibility in a group setting.  Maybe I need to start a waldspielgruppe here.