Finding magic in the sea, the forest, and our imaginations
It was a midsummer night and the stars were out. We went to our favourite swimming spot in Royston. It is good for swimming because in the afternoon the water is warm from the rocks that have been in the sun all day. But that night, our mission was not swimming. Instead, we were looking for MAGIC!
When my friend and I got out of the car, I could smell the salty sea air and hear the sound of little waves. It was completely dark except for little sparks of light every time the waves hit the shore. My friend and I ran to see what it was. When I put my hand in the warm water and moved it around, tiny blue flakes of light appeared out of nowhere. It was bioluminescence. Imagine swimming in blue, lit-up sparkles, and every time you move, it feels like the stars have fallen into the water and are playing with you. My mum had brought buckets so we could take some magic home and look at it under the microscope. Later that night we saw ring-shaped creatures in our water samples.
Hi, my name is Kozma-Rose. I’m 10 years old and I have lived in Cumberland my whole life. I have a six-year-old sister. We have been homeschooled since kindergarten, which I really like, because if I get all my work done in the morning, I can do whatever I want for the afternoon.
I think the Valley is a very special place because there are forests, rivers, oceans, and mountains to explore. I love all the outdoor activities I can do. The ski hill is so close. There’s biking, soccer (I LOVE SOCCER), tennis, surfing (if the wind is right), climbing, and paddling at the lake.
Remembering nature school, Hand in Hand
My favourite place is the forest. When I’m there I feel light and happy, like I am at home, connected to my soul. When I was three, I went to a nature school called Hand-in-Hand. I remember loving it because my friends were there and we would go and make mud pies, potions (lots), sing songs, play games, and explore, even if it was snowing or there was a torrential downpour. When my sister was old enough, she went to the same school. Now I help out there one morning a week. I love being there because the kids are so playful with nature and I get to share my skills with them. I get to see how little kids think differently from how I do—and how cute they are. A normal morning at Hand in Hand starts with a nature craft, then we sing our welcome song and pick a “classroom” (an area of the forest) to adventure to. When we arrive, we let our imaginations loose. Maybe we create fairy houses, or we investigate worms and other forest dwellers. Or we just play in the mud. Last Friday we found fire morels [mushrooms that grow in recently burned forests].
My new forest school, Fianna
Now that I am too old for Hand in Hand, I go to another forest school for older kids, called Fianna. I really like it because we get to explore, play, make fires, use knives to carve, and search for pitch wood. We also learn tales and myths of the land. I can get close to wild animals and see how they live. I like being surrounded with the magic of all the other species. I know humans aren’t the most important ones. The way humans live is not the only way to do things or to be.
