Every school has its beginnings, and ours were wonderfully muddy. Before Firefly Forest School had the home it has today in Bangkok, it was a small, growing circle of families meeting in parks and gardens, then learning from their own homes when COVID closed the doors. In this round-up we look back at a few treasured moments from 2021 and 2022: weeks spent hunting for bugs, painting snails, running barefoot and watching caterpillars turn into butterflies. These early days shaped the nature-based, family-centred learning we still believe in.
Bug Detectives and Garden Snails
One of our first themed weeks sent the children out to meet the insects living all around us, each one searching for a favourite bug. Mama June shared a lesson she loves: only about 10% of insects are pests. The other 90% help keep people and the environment in balance. They pollinate plants, help crops grow, become food for other animals, control pests, care for the soil and make our world more beautiful. Each insect has a different job, and those differences are what keep the world balanced. Mama June saw the same thing in our group: every child played, looked and learned in their own way. Parents even had their own small sharing circle while the children listened to stories.
Next came “Garden Snail” week. Families joined us from across Bangkok and beyond, from Phutthamonthon, Samut Prakan and Rangsit, and one family made the long trip from Sisaket. The children’s snail paintings were full of stories. One young artist explained that their snail was scared and had hidden in its shell, so only the shell shows. Another said it was night-time, so the snail was asleep underground. As Mama June put it, freedom of thought lets imagination grow, and every little firefly shines in their own way.
Barefoot in the Park
Some of our happiest days were also the simplest. The children kicked off their shoes to feel the grass and earth, then went looking for natural materials to make masks and crowns. They climbed trees, built tree houses and went “fishing”, which one young explorer described perfectly: you dangle a twig in the water, then sit very still in case a fish swims over.
The parents were part of the adventure too. Dads joined in and helped make the outings fun, and in one session the mums wrote a letter to their seven-year-old selves and drew how others see them compared with who they really are. One mother wrote that Firefly felt like a second home for her family.
A “Rest Stop” Before the Term Break
Before a short term break we built a week around the idea of a rest stop: a time for children and parents to pause, look back at how far we had come and notice anything we had dropped along the way. Parents and children had separate activities, and the children’s party showed us a side of them we had not seen before. They sat together without their parents, shared snacks, chatted about the things they cared about and enjoyed a mini-concert from Papa Robin. By then our community had grown to three groups and 113 families. Families who had been there from the start now felt like one big family.
Learning at Home Through COVID
Around Thai New Year 2021, COVID returned and meeting in person had to stop. Mama June kept the learning going with weekly ideas families could try at home. In plants week, children studied what roots, stems, leaves, flowers and fruit do, planted seeds or flowers to watch them grow, and went looking for where different plants keep their seeds. Wildflower week asked children to find the flowers growing wild around them and work out how many kinds there were. In grass week, families learned about types of grass and how a grass plant is built, looked for the creatures living in the grass and grew grass of their own.
Art carried on at home too. One young painter returned to a favourite picture to practise the sky and meadow again, adding flowers dabbed on with cotton buds. Mama June tried to help blend the colours, went too far, and happily handed the brush back so the artist could fix it.
From Caterpillars to Butterflies
Our caterpillar unit became a family project. Caterpillars were found in all sorts of places, and Papa Robin and his young assistant built them a little house. For three weeks, morning, noon and bedtime, everyone checked on them and fed them. By the end, the children could name every stage of the life cycle. When the butterflies emerged one or two at a time, the lesson turned to saying goodbye: they had become part of nature, just as children one day grow up and fly their own way. A museum visit had been planned for that week, but because of the situation we kept following what inspired us. It became one of our favourite homeschool weeks, right up there with our moon week.
2022: A Travelling Theatre Camp and an End-of-Term Party
By May 2022 the school had grown, and two celebrations stand out. Our Firefly Forest School Camp brought along our travelling theatre, which remains one of the children’s happiest memories. Thank you for every smile, every laugh and all the teamwork from children and parents alike. Soon after, we marked the end of Term 1 with a party for the whole community.
Looking back at these early days, it is easy to see where Firefly’s heart comes from: curious children, involved families and nature as our classroom. To find out how it all began, read our story. To see how those first steps have grown, explore our programs today. And if you would like to see the forest for yourself, book a school tour. We would love to welcome you.
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