September at Firefly Forest School was a month of settling in, dressing up and heading outdoors. Our nature-based classrooms here in Bangkok filled with garden tea parties, maths in motion and long, happy hours among the trees, while our camp families explored a farm and got ready for the forests of Nakhon Nayok. Here is a look back at the month, and a peek at what came next.
Children and the forest
Some posts need very few words. “Children and Forest” was the whole caption on one of our favourite photo sets of the month, and it says everything about how our Explorers spend their days: climbing, looking closely, and simply being at home among the trees. Learning at Firefly happens outside as often as possible, and the forest is always our first classroom.
Fairy dress-up and a Garden Tea Party
One of the sweetest moments of the month came from a parent whose child had been at school for just eight days. That day, the teachers invited the children to come dressed in a Fairy theme and sit down together for a little “coffee” party, and the parent shared how lovely it was to see. They also told us their little one had adapted far better than expected: instead of the tearful mornings they had braced for, drop-off now comes with hardly any tears at all. Watching a new Explorer find their feet like this is one of the best parts of the start of a school year.
The fairy theme carried on into our Garden Tea Party, where the children laid out their tea time among the plants and flowers. It is a simple ritual, but it brings together so much: pouring and serving, taking turns, conversation and good manners, all wrapped up in imaginative play.
Eggs Week, maths and a little magic
In the classroom, September brought Eggs Week, with wooden play pieces from our friends at little.wooden_simple joining the fun. Mathematics also had its moment in the spotlight: as Sister Kanti reminded us, maths is one of the subjects our children explore every day, and at Firefly it is hands-on, playful and often outdoors. We also shared a short clip from Witchery Glass, a corner of the school where imaginations are free to run wild.
Throughout the first three weeks of September we also ran a series of Thursday, Friday and Saturday sessions (5–7, 12–14 and 18–20 September), giving more young children a chance to spend time with us in the garden.
Farm camp with our fluffy friends
Our camp families spent two days and nights at The Scenery Vintage Farm, surrounded by wind, sunshine and green meadows. The children met their fluffy new friends, got to know them, touched them and spent time with them until they truly became friends. Gentle hands practised feeding, gentle eyes practised observing, gentle arms practised hugging, and gentle hearts practised love and kindness. The message we hoped they would carry home: we do not live on this big planet alone, and once we get to know the creatures who share it with us, we fall in love with them. The farm left everyone with warmth, laughter, smiles and friendships, and some of our campers have already asked to go back for a third visit this year.
Looking back at summer, looking ahead to camp
Early in the month we looked back on our Summer Camp, when nearly 100 children came through our nature classroom over two months. Some families were with us for a second year, and some children were joining their fourth camp. Together the children travelled through time and space, explored engines, dinosaurs and the universe, visited the farm, gardened, cared for goats and sheep, built creative inventions and even dug for “dinosaur fossils”. A digger, a fire engine, a garbage truck, an ice-cream truck and an ambulance all pulled up at Firefly so the children could explore them up close.
We also opened registration for Into the Woods Camp, our 25th family camp, held on 26–27 September at Rabiang Prai Valley Resort in Nakhon Nayok for just 10 families. The plan: hiking like real forest explorers, crossing the rainbow stream, dipping our heads in the water, hunting for fairy mushrooms, sitting by the campfire, cooking, toasting marshmallows, listening to stories in the tent and, with raincoats and boots ready, playing in the mud pit, with our Forest Play activities packed up and brought along too. And to round off the month, we announced our October camp at Firefly (30 September – 11 October): leaves, pumpkins and spooky fun, with special guests Mr Excavator and our city protectors teaching some very cool survival skills.
Thank you
A heartfelt thank-you to every parent and friend of Firefly who supported us this month. Our school was built from the heart, and your kindness keeps our small family warm.
Would you like your child to experience a day like these? Join us for one of our weekend playgroups, read more about our programs, or book a school tour and come and see our forest classroom on Lat Phrao Soi 35 for yourself.
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