Outing at 100 Acre Wood: 11-21-15

The morning was cold and sunny: A Be Prepared challenge day! While waiting for everyone to arrive, the girls enjoyed playing a couple of favorite EC games: Pack Leader and "Woody, the Woodchuck." Then after a lengthy check-in around clothing, our favorite Harry Potter house, some early snacking, and talking about how animals protect themselves from the cold, we were on our way to explore! 

Checking-in about appropriate clothing.

Walking into the 100 Acre Wood we discussed Firs and Cedars, licorice root and mushrooms. There were a few side trips from the main trail to explore shelters, and search out a sunny spot. Our ultimate destination was a small open area with tall cedars; perfect for a day of exploring, game-playing and hot cocoa!

The girls enjoyed playing HIDE and Spider's Web to keep energies up and bodies warm.

Rebecca, being sneaky in HIDE!

Our outing also included Circles of Comfort, a special activity around Stretching Our Edge. We had a great discussion about a previous outing (North Lake Whatcom ) where several girls had been significantly stretched beyond their learning zone. Using circles laid on the ground, we talked about many situations, and how we are all challenged differently. We talked about feeling pressure from others in certain situations, and the difference between peer pressure and encouragement. And we discussed what it means to follow our Internal Compass.

Circles of Comfort

Reflecting on the season past, we ended our day by creating the Web of Life from things we'd all connected to this season: trees, mud, North Lake Whatcom, the sky, and personal growth, just to name a few. We agreed that humans are connected to every aspect of this web, and have tremendous power to impact it in both positive and negative ways. This underlines our GEC motto, All Things Are Connected, and helps us understand that whenever one thing in the web is altered, it affects all other aspects. We reiterated that GEC is all about strengthening the web of life, as well as the bonds between each other. All Pikas who wish to continue to be part of our web are invited to return in the spring. We hope they will!  

Check out our photo album for more pictures from our exploration to 100 Acre Wood. Have a happy winter, everyone!