We love kids and we love their creativity. It is particularly gratifying that we spark kids’ creativity with our programming. We hope you enjoy this poem from Alexandra Elia! Thanks, Alexandra and keep it coming kids!

This fall, on the first program day, some kids already knew the lay of the land, having returned from a previous season. Others were just getting acclimated to the space, taking advice from the returners on how to create paint from sedimentary rocks and charcoal. When the time came to head down the trail, some chose a stony path along a creek, while others climbed over a log that spanned the leafy forest floor. A few asked mentors Melissa and Sean for help, or just saved the challenge for another day.

Sean Cornell has been fascinated with foraging for wild plants since he was a kid, spending his school breaks to solely eat in the forest. In the spring of 2015 he took up that challenge by himself again, except this time was longer (ten days), he had a full-time job, and a family to take care of.