We were immersed in soil this week and wow, did it feel great! Children and adults alike were happy as they dug, tilled, hoed, turned, explored, shovelled, laid upon, smelled, touched, and scooped soil! The air has changed and with it the delights of spring our upon us. Children are noticing the changes all by…Continue reading →

It was a short week for me at Nature School as I attended a two day institute titled “Making Authentic Inquiry Work.”, presented by Natural Curiosity and Learning for a Sustainable Future. As always with professional development, my mind is now in a state of disarray as I sort through the huge amount of ideas and…Continue reading →

Refreshed; rejuvenated; invigorated; restored; we all had a needed and healthy break from school but now we are more than ready to be back. It was a splendid week with sun shining on us as we all got back into the groove of living and learning together. ‘Till the next post, Emily

It was quite the rainy week here at the farm but we all just sort of did our thing and managed through the downpours. It really is amazing to watch these children march along without complaint; aside from a few “My hands are getting cold.”, we really didn’t hear much resistance. How wonderful to be…Continue reading →

Last weekend, after an inspiring workshop, I went into the Cottage and re-configured our loose parts station. We were feeling it was either being under utilized or not used appropriately in our larger room. It is now in the Studio with the hope that working in a more removed space will allow for increased concentration, ingenuity…Continue reading →

Snapshots from our work together this week… ‘Till the next post, Emily

The rain was really on and really off this week! Some moments the sun warmed us up with its rays so that our layers were peeled off and other times we zipped right up as much as we could to shelter ourselves from its pelting drops. Working with the weather, not against it, is what we…Continue reading →

We bumped up against each other this week; sometimes in very playful ways and sometimes in more challenging ways because that is what you do when you live together. One of our favourite quotes by Loris Mallaguzzi, a widely respected and revered educator who was pivotal in the development of the Reggio philosophy of education, says “Sometimes we…Continue reading →

I am in awe of these children! Weather wise, it was our toughest week. The rain pelted down upon us as walked, ran, skipped, jumped (through and IN the puddles), played games, ate snack, learned about the animals on the land and pretended all sorts of imaginary scenarios. And yet, these children barely complained or commented…Continue reading →

I am overwhelmed with how much these children are learning each and every day; here at Nature School, at home and in their community. They come to school ready to learn and ready to share their knowledge with others. The sharing part is what really is interesting, our need to connect with others. I recently…Continue reading →

I have lots of ideas in my head from this past week! Ideas about making space, play, friendships, independence, power, and communication. In fact, the ideas are all swirling in my head, in a somewhat disorganized fashion. This happens to me, and other educators and I am sure to you too! It is sometimes a…Continue reading →

Happy New Year to all and welcome to 2016! A dear friend of mine gave me a special gift; a small jar with strips of paper with one word written on each piece. Each day, for the month of January, I pull one word out for that day. So far I have pulled out “enthusiasm,…Continue reading →

The last blog post of 2015! I could get extremely sentimental ( it is easy to go there at this time of year) but instead, on behalf of our whole team, I will wish you all a merry and festive holiday season, filled with the laughter and energy of your fabulous children! Enjoy the shared…Continue reading →

The rain pelted down at times, the wind howled strongly but honestly that did not stop these resilient and tough Nature School children from having fun outside. The weather tested us and we passed! These children are amazing, playing without complaint and saying good morning to the rain, clouds and wind each day. Perhaps they…Continue reading →