Given the major political event that occurred this week, it seems timely to discuss and introduce the idea of our preschool children being citizens of our community; our municipality; our province; our country; our world. This term is something we have discussed in depth at team meetings in the past as it is an integral…Continue reading →

It had been a long time coming, and I mean a really long time coming! I had been thinking about wheat day for over a year and yesterday it finally happened! It truly was like a dream come true for me– sharing my passion for growing wheat, processing it and cooking with it, was something…Continue reading →

Without doubt, this particular place of Terra Nova Rural Park in Richmond, BC, is a beautiful place to explore.   What I notice when looking at photographs from this week, though, is the sense that we are coming together as a community.  The children are learning one another’s names and using them more often; routines…Continue reading →

Last week we hosted our first Parent Meeting of the new school year, and one of our agenda items was ‘curriculum development’.    What do we teach?  How and why do we decide what is  important – for all of us – in our living together at Nature School?  It is an enormous question, and…Continue reading →

Discoveries are something we make all the time; whether it is something we see, a feeling we have, a connection we make, a new piece of information or a new theory about something. Hopefully we are all, children and adults alike, perpetually in a state of discovering. It is this sense of freshness, newness and…Continue reading →

We spent a lot of time this week learning about seed saving and the miracle of growing a whole plant from one tiny seed. Through our gardening program, we can teach so many important life lessons: food security and how lucky we are to have food and how to make sure we look after feeding…Continue reading →

One foot in front of the other, whether it be walking along our myriad of pathways or building our relationships or figuring out our systems here at Nature School. Week 2 of a school year can be difficult as the excitement and novelty of Week 1 wear off but the fresh rain on Monday and…Continue reading →

“Ten times a day something happens to me like this– some strengthening throb of amazement-some good sweet empathic ping and swell. This is the first, the wildest and the wisest thing I know: that the soul exists and is built entirely out of attentiveness”            (Mary Oliver) Starting a new year…Continue reading →

It is with both a joyful and heavy heart that I write the last blog post for this year. My feelings are deep, rich, and intertwined with moments that will never fade. The children that have been under our care for the past two years are children that will never be forgotten. Along with their…Continue reading →

I guess it is the deep down knowing that time is passing ever so quickly and we only have a short time left in our year together that has made each moment seem all the more precious. I have been, and I see it on the faces of my colleagues, cherishing each moment; the inevitable…Continue reading →

So I promised myself (and my team) I would not write blog this long weekend; really take a break to re-charge. But, I have SO many great photos of our work together this week, it seems like a pity not to share them! So, kind of sneaky, but I will post them now before the…Continue reading →

I love the way the children are being together- they are laughing a lot; they are goofy; they are at times completely and utterly hyper. And, they are also really sensitive, kind, curious, intelligent, creative and exploratory. We are seeing them eager to seek new challenges in all areas They are questioning  ideas and philosophies….Continue reading →

One moment in time together; that’s all we really need to make a day happy and complete. A shared laugh, a hug after a tumble, a shared interest in a buttercup, a planting of a bean, a pretend adventure, an unspoken understanding of an event, a reconciliation after a disagreement, a shared idea– this week,…Continue reading →

When I look through these photos, I am reminded how important it is to offer children a safe place; not just in the physical world but in the spiritual and emotional sense. It is our job to support children to explore their ideas, thoughts, world views, concerns and wonderings. I think we do a pretty good…Continue reading →