Duwisduwi

What a wild ride this weather has been.  Warm, cold, snow, rain, wind, and sun! The kids have been making some strong friendships. It is so much fun to watch them bloom. There have been so many games of family and different animals.

This past week we learned about birds. On Monday and Tuesday we went on a wander to fill up a bird feeder near another camp that the homeschool kids use and to see if any seeds had been eaten yet. We learned some bird songs and practiced the chickadee, cardinal, and blue jays calls. We also learned the Gayogohó:nǫˀ word for sandpiper which is Duwisduwi. We had a lot of fun saying that name as it also mimics the sound the bird makes. Duwisduwi is also one of the six clan names of the Gayogohó:nǫˀ people. When the children learned that the song birds who don’t fly south have to forage for food all winter, they were excited to make bird feeders and provide some food for them. On Wednesday and Thursday we made bird feeders with pine cones, peanut butter and birdseed. Many of the children took home bird feeders and we also hung up several around Trillium Camp. We hope we will get to see some birds snacking while we are there some days.

Last week we focused on trees and learned how to tell the difference between Maple and Sycamore leaves. We also made White Pine tea. The children love harvesting White Pine needles.  I’m looking forward to more adventures in the forest this fall and making observations at our bird feeders in the weeks ahead.