Wow, it sure it good to be back! It was a beautiful week in every sense of the word. The warm weather eased us in gently (okay, except for Friday...) and the children engaged in so many diverse and engaging activities. We welcomed a few new children into our community, including Alden (attends MWF mornings), Serenity (attends TR afternoons), and Eric (attends TR afternoons). Some highlights from our time together:
Looking for signs of spring! We observed blooming flowers, onion grass, open pinecones, migrating birds, and of course warming weather.
We got to examine the root systems of some freshly fallen trees up close and discuss the roles of the roots (anchor the tree in the ground, drink water from the ground and send it up to the leaves of the tree)
We practiced the sound "t" and looked for things around us that start with the sound "t" (learners identified trees, tower, toes, trash, and more!). Older learners were able to generate words with the ending sound "t" (cat, hat, etc.). We also played T-ball and did Tree rubbings to notice how the bark is different on various species of trees.
We introduced two brand new materials into our classroom: the moveable alphabet for writing and the botany cabinet for sorting and identifying leaf shapes.
We explored some new locations and discovered two small creeks. Forest Club located a new geocache.
We flew kites and "walked dogs" on the windy days.
We created a graph of found objects (pinecones, gum balls, hickory nut shells, and trash).
We discovered a variety of animal tracks, including deer tracks at basecamp and raccoon tracks on a nearby hike.
Over the break, Kris and I worked hard to plan an engaging spring curriculum, enrolled children for the 2023-2024 school year, and worked with an architect on our new schoolhouse. We are so excited about all of these things!! Of course, we took some time to rest and spend time with our families, too!
We are thrilled that almost all of you will be returning for the 2023-2024 school year. Thank you for entrusting your children to us! If you have friends who are interested in joining the program, we have a couple of open spots for kindergartners and elementary-age children (full time and forest club). Spots for 3- and 4-year-olds are currently full, but we welcome families to apply and join the waitlist.
Things to Look Forward To
Mark your calendars for our upcoming family volunteer day, March 11th (rain date March 18th)! We are putting in a little sweat equity to accomplish three projects: 1) sprucing up the Garden Shelter, 2) repairing and cleaning out our storage shed, and 3) clearing and expanding our wooded play area. One of our parents, Samantha, has graciously volunteered to help organize the event. You will be hearing from her soon and we hope you can make it!
Our Spring Family Gathering is Tuesday, March 21st. More info to come!
Ways to Get Involved
Attend the two family events above!
Donate some of these needed items: old pots, pans, and sturdy utensils for our mud kitchen, bird seed, scrub brushes (for washing dishes and boots), spray nozzle attachment for hose.
See you next week!
Heather & Kris