Blossoming

Spring blossoms awaken our senses in every way. It is a time of beauty, energy and instils a feeling of excitement. And here at TNNS not only are the trees, flowers, birds etc coming to life but so are the children. I know it sounds corny but honestly, coming after spring break, you see the…Continue reading

Noticing

Children have been become increasingly observant the past couple of weeks. The connections are remarkable and beautiful! They are noticing things that are similiar- “Maybe these are jelly mushrooms, like the other ones” or “I think this is the same as the tree that you like, the pussy willow tree” (we have been documenting the…Continue reading

The Shortest Day

This week one of our families shared their beautiful tradition of celebrating Winter Solstice on December 21st. Celebrating the seasonal changes and embracing winter seems like a given in an outdoor school but like everything else, it needs intentionality and awareness. Learning and playing outside everyday intrinsically makes us more aware of the changes occuring…Continue reading

Landing

Autumn brings so many gifts- apples, beautiful leaves both on and off their branches, days of celebration including the Autumn Equinox, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Rosh Hashanah, our Family Soup Days, the planting of our Food Forest beside our garden beds and so much more. It feels like we have all sort…Continue reading

Just Be

The past little while has been very busy for a variety of reasons and yet when we are with children it is our responsibility to push all that aside and “just be”. Being together is the foundation of all our work- together, in relationship, with one another. This piece can never be forgotten or undermined….Continue reading

Many Threads

We have so many threads of inquiry right now it is becoming like an intricate spider web! The work in an emergent curriclum based school is rich and deep-the children have so many ideas and interests; and when you throw in a bunch of creative, dedicated educators, the work becomes exhilarating, complex, and at times,…Continue reading

Refresh!

Sometimes a new year starts off slowly-moving with a peaceful vitality, a sense of hibernating like many other beings (animals, trees, plants). Other times it starts off with a burst of energy, brewing and bubbling inside and out. It seems 2023 has started off with a bit of a force! The educators and children are…Continue reading