Bird Hills After School Class Tuesdays 4-6 pm
Fall 2023 September 5 thru Nov 7th No class Oct 31st
The class hikes through Bird Hills Nature Area from the Newport entrance to the Huron River while we relax, play and share in nature connected community. Children collaborate with nature mentors to plan their time together as we explore the river, forest, field and ponds and grow in our understanding of the ecology, geology and land history of Bird Hills Natural Area. We create art, play games, explore our sensory awareness, climb trees, build forts, hang out, learn wayfinding skills, carve, watch animals and learn about edible and medicinal plants and ask big questions ... Where do beetles go on the winter? What is beautiful to us? Who has lived and worked on the land before us and will after us? What does public land mean? How many shades of green are there in the forest?
Class starts with a sharing circle and snacks and ends with gratitudes and wild foraged tea. Drop off at Bird Hills Nature Area Newport entrance pick up at the Barton Nature Area
Class starts with a sharing circle and snacks and ends with gratitudes and wild foraged tea. Drop off at Bird Hills Nature Area Newport entrance pick up at the Barton Nature Area
Details
This class is for children ages 6-12. Class meets in Bird Hills Nature Area at the Newport Ave entrance across the road from Wines Elementary and Forsythe Middle School on Tuesdays from 4-6 pm. In very challenging weather (thunderstorms), class may be shortened or canceled.
$240 is the cost for the series. Payment and health/liability forms are required for enrollment (see payment and refund policies). Scholarships of 25% off, and payment plans are available upon request. You are also invited to consider donating additional funds with your full tuition, if you're able, to support scholarships for students in need.
This class is for children ages 6-12. Class meets in Bird Hills Nature Area at the Newport Ave entrance across the road from Wines Elementary and Forsythe Middle School on Tuesdays from 4-6 pm. In very challenging weather (thunderstorms), class may be shortened or canceled.
$240 is the cost for the series. Payment and health/liability forms are required for enrollment (see payment and refund policies). Scholarships of 25% off, and payment plans are available upon request. You are also invited to consider donating additional funds with your full tuition, if you're able, to support scholarships for students in need.
Keeping it Safe in the Time of Covid
We've been paying close attention to emerging research around safety in the time of COVID. Current reports indicate that outdoors activities are safe within certain guidelines. Please check out our safety protocols.
We've been paying close attention to emerging research around safety in the time of COVID. Current reports indicate that outdoors activities are safe within certain guidelines. Please check out our safety protocols.
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Coordinator
Syndallas Baughman grew up on the water and in the forests of Michigan and Florida and earned a B.S. in Biology at University of Michigan and M.S. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Irvine. Along the way she’s camped and studied plants and pollinators in the Siskiyous in S.W. Oregon, swamps, forests and fields of Michigan, Kauai, coastal and desert California, and the California Sierra Nevada. She taught at El Cerrito Preschool Cooperative, learning from wise and loving mentors to step back and follow and support kids’ ideas. At Wildcat Community Free School she followed kids through creeks and forests, set up experiments, supervised the use of power tools, knives and fire, facilitated democratic decision making and mediated a lot of arguments about Pokemon Card trades. She’s planted native gardens with preschoolers to high school students, and camped all over the U.S.A. with her two teenage sons.
Syndallas spent much of the past decade at an automotive manufacturing plant where her responsibilities included developing accountable health and safety systems with teams of union leaders, production operators and supervision. She recently served on a Michigan State working group developing guidance for community centers and public events around COVID safety and is currently in school earning her secondary teaching certificate in biology. She participates in consensus decision making with her cohousing neighbors. The beautiful wild world is the place Syndallas wants to be! She loves sharing nature connection with people and other living things and you!
Syndallas Baughman grew up on the water and in the forests of Michigan and Florida and earned a B.S. in Biology at University of Michigan and M.S. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Irvine. Along the way she’s camped and studied plants and pollinators in the Siskiyous in S.W. Oregon, swamps, forests and fields of Michigan, Kauai, coastal and desert California, and the California Sierra Nevada. She taught at El Cerrito Preschool Cooperative, learning from wise and loving mentors to step back and follow and support kids’ ideas. At Wildcat Community Free School she followed kids through creeks and forests, set up experiments, supervised the use of power tools, knives and fire, facilitated democratic decision making and mediated a lot of arguments about Pokemon Card trades. She’s planted native gardens with preschoolers to high school students, and camped all over the U.S.A. with her two teenage sons.
Syndallas spent much of the past decade at an automotive manufacturing plant where her responsibilities included developing accountable health and safety systems with teams of union leaders, production operators and supervision. She recently served on a Michigan State working group developing guidance for community centers and public events around COVID safety and is currently in school earning her secondary teaching certificate in biology. She participates in consensus decision making with her cohousing neighbors. The beautiful wild world is the place Syndallas wants to be! She loves sharing nature connection with people and other living things and you!
Instructor
Fonsea Bagchi (He/Him/His) lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He loves wandering in the woods, by the river, in the UP, by Lake Michigan, in the desert, and also canoe camping, getting lost in the mountains, checking dumpsters for raccoons and possums. He basically loves being anywhere outdoors unless there are swarms of vicious bitey flies! Fonsea loves music and plays the French Horn and trumpet. He likes to create and share music and enjoys its' connection to nature. He’s likes to help kids find their own love and appreciation of nature. He loves nature and nature loves him!
Instructor Sofia- more info coming soon
Fonsea Bagchi (He/Him/His) lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He loves wandering in the woods, by the river, in the UP, by Lake Michigan, in the desert, and also canoe camping, getting lost in the mountains, checking dumpsters for raccoons and possums. He basically loves being anywhere outdoors unless there are swarms of vicious bitey flies! Fonsea loves music and plays the French Horn and trumpet. He likes to create and share music and enjoys its' connection to nature. He’s likes to help kids find their own love and appreciation of nature. He loves nature and nature loves him!
Instructor Sofia- more info coming soon