You can learn a lot in the woods.

For Craftsbury 1st and 2nd grade students in September, that meant learning “stick safety” – how to safely move large sticks in the woods by dragging them, how to break a stick on the ground using your feet, and how you should shout “safety circle” before moving large sticks to avoid accidentally injuring a fellow naturalist. It was all part of ECO (Educating Children Outdoors), an outdoor partnership with North Branch Nature Center. After nature educator Pete Kerby-Miller shared the story of beaver, buck, squirrel and muskrat, students were invited to build their own beaver lodges or other imaginative structures. At the end of the day, the forest behind the school was reimagined with chipmunk homes, lodges to accommodate a family of “16 beavers”, multi-story architectural masterpieces and mossy fairy homes fit for Craftsbury’s finest tiny residents. ECO will be part of the curriculum for K-5th grade students this fall, so watch for more stories from the forest! Click this link to learn more about ECO.