Thursdays: A Journey Through the Fantasy Forest

July 19, 2016

Written by: Sarah

Meet our friend Raven, the keeper of the Fantasy Forest. He watches over the forest from his treetop perch, guiding the Big Kids on their path to castle at the end of the Rainbow Road. There, a magical princess waits for us to bring back the lost jewels that once adorned her crown.

Meet our friend Raven, keeper of the Fantasy Forest.

Map of the Fantasy Forest

Climbing trees in Burnaby's Central Park

The raven is a key part of many Northwest Coast legends and stories. He is a trickster, symbolizing change in life, creativity, and humour. A key figure in Northwest Coast legends, the raven is involved in many creation stories and is also recognized as the bringer of light.

Our Raven is just as wise, and also just as tricky. Every Thursday, in his humorous way, Raven brings us a new riddle. With the solving of each of these riddles, the Big Kids uncover another of the princess’ lost jewels and progress one step closer to her castle at the end of the Rainbow Road.

Examining a douglas fir cone

Raven’s riddles are not for nothing. They prompt us to wonder, learn, and explore folk and fairy tales from around the world. In the first Fantasy Forest class, we trekked to Burnaby’s Central Park to read Raven: A Trickster Tale from the Pacific Northwest by Gerald McDermott to set the stage for our class. As we settled in to read our book at the foot of towering western hemlock, we could hear the caw of ravens overhead. Sure, they might have been crows…but it’s so much more fun to think they were ravens, bidding us safe passage on our Fantasy Forest adventure!

Thursdays this summer, we will answer Raven’s call and continue our journey on the Rainbow Road. Join us as we “leave the nest” to explore folk and fairy tales from far and wide!