Berkeley Forest School

Día de Los Muertos ofrenda, co-created with all the preschool through 5th graders at BFS. Groups took turns visiting throughout the day and we will continue to add to the ofrenda tomorrow too. You may continue to bring photos and drawings and mementos to add. Gracias a todos, BFS community. . . #diadelosmuertos #diademuertos #ofrenda #dayofthedeadaltar #diversifyoutdoors #communitylearning #embracingculture

Happy Halloween from Teacher Maleficent, Teacher Nausicaä, & Teacher X-Ray! After pumpkin explorations, broomstick rides over wild winds, potion & wand making, children went to see the costumes of people in other classes (from a distance), played with a skeleton friend named Mr Bones, had scary storytime, and celebrated this day of disguise and trickery. There were discussions on mischief and deception, even in the natural world! Trickster tales and this concept of shifting appearance is a year-long theme when you work with the seasons through various landscapes. I wonder what connections the children will make in our adventures to come? Xucyun (Huichin), the ancestral unceded land of the Chochenyo Ohlone

Does your little one want to dress up as Molly of Denali this year? Here's how to create a great costume for them while still respecting Molly’s Athabascan culture. https://to.pbs.org/35EK5yQ

So excited for the North American Association for Environmental Education - NAAEE Nature Based Eaely Leaening Conference! Save the date!

Pandemic Parenting & Productivity (For us grown ups and the children) We have experts warning us that our five-year-olds are falling behind. It shouldn't surprise us that the incidence of mental health issues like anxiety and depression is at an all time high amongst our nation's children, and I'm certain it's spiked over the last several months as we've strived to make them "productive" again by sticking them in front of computer screens.... [W]e don't have to keep doing this to our children. We can let them play. We can give them their childhood. The lessons of productivity will come soon enough, but maybe, if they've been allowed to actually live, they'll see it for what it is. Maybe they won't feel guilty. Maybe, if they learn to feel good about doing what they want to do, they'll know that productivity is a means to an end, not an end in itself.

Denver city council unanimously passed a resolution Monday that ensures each legislative meeting will include the land acknowledgment after the pledge. The Denver City Council honors and acknowledges that the land on which we reside is the traditional territory of the Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapaho Peoples. We also recognize the 48 contemporary tribal nations that are historically tied to the lands that make up the state of Colorado. We honor Elders past, present, and future, ...and those who have stewarded this land throughout generations. We also recognize that government, academic and cultural institutions were founded upon and continue to enact exclusions and erasures of Indigenous Peoples. May this acknowledgment demonstrate a commitment to working to dismantle ongoing legacies of oppression and inequities and recognize the current and future contributions of Indigenous communities in Denver.

That’s 3pm and 5pm PST!

Join #RideOutToVote Thursday, 10/29 @ 3pm!

Free for all 5th Graders!

Tomorrow (Friday) at 9am Join local climate emergency actions with Corinna Gould of Sogorea Te' Land Trust, and our very own council member Re-ELECT Councilmember Cheryl Davila from right here in District 2. See you there!

In English, a being is either a human or an it. Objectification of the natural world reinforces the notion that our species is somehow more deserving of the gifts of the world than the other 8.7 million species with whom we share the planet. Using it absolves us of moral responsibility and opens the door to exploitation. When Sugar Maple is an it we give ourselves permission to pick up the saw. It means it doesn’t matter. But in Anishinaabe and many other indigenous ...languages, it’s impossible to speak of Sugar Maple as it. We use the same words to address all living beings as we do our family. Because they are our family. What would it feel like to be part of a family that includes birches and beavers and butterflies? We’d be less lonely. We’d feel like we belonged. We’d be smarter. Dr Robin Wall Kimmerer

Punch Holes in Leaves Fine motor activity anywhere, all year Get outdoors, enjoy the season change while learning .... . . #finemotor #finemotorskills #teachablemoments #outdoorclassroom #everydaylearning #makelearningfun #daycareprovider #preschoollearning See more

Young scientists, entrepreneurs, and advocates join The Post to discuss the most innovative inventions, proposals and solutions to combat climate change.