On April 5th, Katie went to Frederick’s Earth and Space Lab to support a Green Schools Workshop. This event was designed to encourage and support FCPS schools in their journey toward becoming ‘Green Schools’ through the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education. ThorpeWood participated alongside other community partners who offer environmental services to schools, as community partnerships are a key element to Green School status.
On April 7th, we hosted Girl Scout Troop 37057 to earn their Art Explorer Badge. To hit all five requirements of this badge we ran the day as follows. First, to ‘Make Something,’ we began with work in our garden. We planted potatoes, shoveled dirt, and watered all of our crops. To ‘Explore Outdoor Art,’ we headed over to the tipi for a lesson on native american art (the design of the tipi, what each element of the design meant/stood for, and some history around tipi art). Afterward, we enjoyed lunch in the tipi with a fire in the fire ring. We then ‘Designed with Nature’ by getting out our fingerpaints and partnering with our horses as living (furry) canvases. The girls obviously delighted in this fun activity! We then headed over to the Pine Cathedral for some mindful listening to accomplish the goal of ‘Finding Music in Nature.’ Here, the girls laid on the log benches, with eyes closed, and listened for the different sounds of nature. We talked about how they fit into ‘nature’s chorus’ and identified which sounds might be percussion, vocals, guitar solos, etc. We ended the day by ‘Taking Nature Photos’ in our arboretum and pine trails.
Here is the feedback we received about the day:
“I can’t thank you all enough for the wonderful program you did for us. We’ve visited 4 different farms this year, each offering something special. Our visit to Thorpewood felt like a good endcap to our year and the most holistic experience; wildlife, nature, domestic animals, culture & heritage, farming. I love being able to share these unique experiences with the girls while giving them the opportunity to bond with each other into what they will one day think of as their “Girl Scout family.” They will surely always remember this special outing.”
Crystal Tressler
All through the week, our Hood Volunteers continued their hours of service with us. We were delighted to have their help with a big cleaning project: the big foot shed. This has always been our storage for Head Start materials, but now that we’re not serving Head Start as much anymore, we are donating much of our supplies to Frederick County Head Start. Our Hood Volunteers were key organizers and cataloguers. It’s so clean now! Thanks, Kaelyn and Olivia!
