A day at Fiddlehead
A forest morning, from the gate to the walk back
- 01
Step 1: The gate
Families walk children to the gate at 8:30. An adult signs each child in, checks layers and says hello. Goodbyes happen here.
- 02
Step 2: Circle on the stumps
The group gathers on the stump ring for a song, a look at the sky and the plan for the morning.
- 03
Step 3: The walk to the morning spot
The group walks together to the day's spot: the brook, the meadow or the big pines. Children carry their own water bottles and take turns at the front.
- 04
Step 4: Play and projects
Most of the morning is open: dens, the mud kitchen, clay, bugs, drawing in a notebook. Teachers play alongside and ask questions rather than give answers.
- 05
Step 5: Snack and a story
Snack is shared on logs or a tarp. Then a story is read, or told without a book, before the walk back.
- 06
Step 6: The walk back
Children and teachers return to the base together at 12:30. Forest-morning children go home from the gate, and school-day children stay for lunch.
The school day
On the school day, lunch and rest at the base
Lunch at the indoor base
Families send lunch from home. We eat together at the long table, and a teacher sits with each group. Tell us about allergies at the tour; we ask privately once you enroll.
Rest, then the afternoon
After lunch there is rest on cushions with a book. No child is asked to sleep. The afternoon goes back outside or, on a cold day, stays at the base with clay, cooking and stories. Pickup is at 3:00 p.m.
See a morning for yourself
Book a tour on a weekday morning and walk to the first spot with the group.