Spring in Full Bloom: A Season of Wonder, Mud, and Discovery with NoMi Forest Explorers

May 10
5 min read

What a season it’s been. As Northern Michigan finally shrugs off the last of winter and the woods come alive with green, our Forest Explorers have been just as busy — wading through pond water, decoding maps, touring the State Capitol, dissecting owl pellets, and reading the land beneath their feet.

We have so much to share. Pull up a log, grab a snack, and let us walk you through a few of our favorite moments from this remarkable spring.

🗺️ Our Map Series Has Officially Begun!

This past week, our Forest Explorers dove headfirst into the wonderful world of maps. We started with the basics — what all those lines, colors, and little pictures actually mean — and got our first taste of using a compass to find our way.

To put our new skills to the test, we headed out to the beautiful Legacy Art Park. Using the park’s own map, the kids worked together to identify landmarks and figure out exactly where they stood. As we walked the loop, the kids excitedly checked off each landmark — connecting their map to the real world right under their feet. 🍃🧭

It was so fun to watch them light up every time they spotted something on the page and then found it in real life. 🌳✨

After our exploration, we got creative and made our very own maps using treasures from nature — sticks, stones, leaves, and acorns became trails, landmarks, and trail markers. The kids carefully replicated the loop trail we had just walked, paying close attention to the order of what we saw along the way.

Watching young explorers learn to read the land around them is pure magic. We can’t wait for our next adventure!!!

🐸 Pond Day: Wading Into Wonder

If you ever doubted that a small pond could be a universe, our Pond Day Forest Explorers would like a word.

We headed out to the home of one of our forest school classmates (such a generous invitation — thank you!) for a day fully dedicated to pond exploration. And thanks to our incredible grant from the MiFamily Engagement Centers, we showed up equipped. Waders for tiny legs. Magnifying glasses. Bug kits. Field guides. Nature journals. The works.

The kids waded right in. (Some hesitated for about thirty seconds. The rest were already up to their knees.) What they discovered was extraordinary:

Tadpoles — big ones, tiny ones, wriggling everywhere
Macroinvertebrates galore (a word the kids quickly learned and proudly repeated)
Water spiders skating across the surface
Frogs hiding in the cattails
Even a small fish darting through the shallows

We talked about what macroinvertebrates can tell us about the health of a pond. We sketched our findings in our nature journals — slowing down to really look at what was in our collection jars. We compared big tadpoles to little ones and wondered out loud about what they would become. Then we released everything back to their home!

Pond Day was a full-body, full-sense, full-heart kind of day. The kind of day where socks come home soaked and grins come home wide. Endless thanks to the family who hosted us, and to the Michigan Family Engagement Center grant for making sure every Forest Explorer had the gear they needed to dive in. 💧🪲🐸

🏛️ A Day at the State Capitol

Our Forest Explorers traded boots for slightly tidier shoes (briefly!) and headed down to Lansing for a field trip we won’t soon forget.

We started with a guided tour of the Michigan State Capitol building — and the kids were wowed. The dome, the marble with FOSSILS IN IT!!, the senate and house chambers, the artwork, the sense of standing in a place where decisions about our state are made. It’s one thing to learn about government in a book; it’s another to crane your neck looking up at the rotunda.

We were lucky enough to visit the office of Representative Will Snyder, who welcomed our group warmly. The kids loved checking out all the cool knick-knacks in his office, meeting his staff, and getting a peek at what a representative’s day actually looks like. Big thanks to Rep. Snyder and his team for being so generous with their time!

From there, we made our way to the Michigan History Center, where the kids explored exhibits on everything Michigan — from natural history and Indigenous heritage to lumberjacks, the auto industry, and Great Lakes shipping. They ran from display to display, calling each other over to “look at THIS.” Our state has stories, and the museum told them well.

It was a long, full day — and exactly the kind of experience that helps kids feel rooted in where they live. They came home knowing more about their state, their government, and their own place in both. 🏛️✨

🌿 Putting Down Roots: Our MAEOE Native Plant Garden Takes Shape

We are so excited to share this one. Thanks to a generous grant from the Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE), we are building a native plant garden — and the project is officially in motion!

Phase One: The Seedlings 🌱 The kids planted seeds together, and right now those tiny green hopefuls are growing and budding away in our tent, soaking up the sun and getting strong for their big move outdoors. Watching the kids check on "their plants" each session — looking for new leaves, comparing growth, celebrating every little bud — has been pure joy.

Phase Two: Picking the Spot 📏 We picked the perfect place for our garden, then measured and staked out the planter area together. The kids got to be a real part of the planning — pacing the borders, holding the tape measure, helping mark the corners. There's something special about a project where children can point to a patch of earth and say, "I helped pick this spot."

Phase Three: Building & Planting 🌿 In a few weeks, we'll be breaking ground on the planters themselves and getting the structure built. And then — the moment we've all been waiting for — those tent-grown seedlings will move outside into the garden bed they were always meant for.

Native plants matter. They support local pollinators, build healthier ecosystems, and give our kids a hands-on, year-after-year way to learn about Michigan's wild flora. This garden will be a living classroom long after the last shovel goes back in the shed.

Huge thanks to MAEOE, Maple Grove Township Community Center, and the Kaleva Garden Club for believing in this project. We can't wait to share photos of moving day. 🌿✨

💚 Help Us Grow More Wonder Like This

Programs like Seedlings to Stewardship, Pond Day, our Capitol trip, and our brand-new Map Series don’t happen without community support. As a small nonprofit, every experience we offer — every PLT and Project WILD curriculum kit, every set of waders and bug kits, every scholarship spot for a family who couldn’t otherwise attend — is made possible by people who believe that every child deserves access to the magic of the forest.

Here’s how you can help us bring more programs like these to more families across Northern Michigan:

💚 Make a one-time donation. Every dollar goes directly toward our own forest school land, curriculum materials, guest educators, scholarships, and keeping our group sizes small enough to truly nurture each child.

🌲 Become a recurring supporter. Even $10/month helps us plan and grow with confidence — and ensures no family is ever turned away due to cost.

🤝 Sponsor a series. Local business or community partner? Sponsoring an entire series (like Waking Woods) puts your name behind something families talk about for years. We’d love to chat about partnership opportunities.

📣 Spread the word. Share this blog. Tag a friend. Tell a neighbor. Word of mouth grows our village.

Join Us Next Time

If any of these adventures sound like something your family would love, we’d be thrilled to have you in our next series!

Keep an eye on our website and socials for upcoming session announcements, and reach out anytime with questions!