I just spent 5 days in New York City and I took a lot of trains, as everyone does in Manhattan. I noticed so many children and families on the trains and it made me think of the journey people take each day to get places and in particular, to school. What do people leave behind for the day when they head out to school? What are they feeling about where they are going- excited, nervous, uncertain? When they arrive to where they are going, how are they welcomed? What do they carry with them throughout the day and what slowly melts off as they fully engage in their new place? And, most importantly, what does this mean for me as an educator? Our TNNS team places great importance on the first moment of each day and want it to be warm, gentle, happy and sending the message “We are glad you are here!” We truly are glad you are here, thank you for coming to school each day!

Warmly,

words:Emily

photos: the whole team

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 children literally blossoming. Children are suddenly physically bigger, are able to spend more time focusing on a project, are more independent; and perhaps most beautifully, the friendships are deepening. Children’s play has transitioned to cooperative play filled with joy, negotiation, conflict, resolution and care. The next few months is very busy, especially with our big 10 year anniversary party fast approaching but we must remember to remain in the present and cherish these important moments of connection and simplicity.

with affection,

Emily

February is rich in learning opportunities. We have sent many emails about Black History Month; Valentine’s Day; Pink Shirt Day; and Family Day so I will pause the verbal dialogue and let these photos speak to each of these important celebrations.

Warmly,

Emily

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 changes of pussy willow). They are noticing and wondering about the environment, a gift of spending repeated time outdoors. They have also shown incredible resiliency through the wet weather- rarely commenting on discomforts or speaking of rain with any negativity at all. Their relationship with water is beautiful-they are learning about the beauty of water, its attributes and capabilities. Friendship roots are growing too- deepening or just blooming, wonderful to observe on our end. Each day brings new moments of learning and growing for us all.

with care,

Emily

Photos:TNNS team

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 around us throughout the seasons. However, marking these larger milestones must come with care, devotion and thought- as does anything important. All relationships require these points of connection.

Tum’xuytl’ (the Hul’q’umi’num word for winter) begs us to seek different ways of spending our days. We are called to embrace colder temperatures, a lot of rain if you live on the West Coast, the beauty of snow if and when it arrives, and notice the plant and animal cycles around us. It also pokes us to re-consider our indoor time- a longer time in slumber, more home cooking of warming foods, and perhaps time to learn or practice hobbies that require time and patience.

Let us welcome winter with open arms and be in and with winter as we finish 2023 and head into 2024. We wish you all slow and unscheduled time of being together and finding space for appreciating our fortunate peaceful community.

with affection,

Emily

PS For more info on the Winter Solstice check out https://www.britannica.com/science/winter-solstice

Our team is made up of a bunch of passionate educators! Of course we are all passionate about children and anything related to Early Childhood Education. And we are also passionate about a whole lot of other things! Some of these passions stay for a long time, others are more fluid, coming and going. Right now, for me personally and for Katharina- we are super into mushroom explorations. We took a class together and are now reading and exploring on our own. We are also spreading this interest into the classroom so now the field guides are out, books are on the tables, magnifying glasses are on the wagon and we are in search of mushrooms here at Terra Nova! We are mindful of teaching children safety protocols and also want them to not fear mushrooms so we aim for a healthy balance. Each educator brings their own unique qualities and interests to the children and the children likewise bring their interests to us- it is this reciprocal giving and taking of ideas, information and passions that make a school an energized place for learning. Take a moment and think about your passions- let us know when you come in next week! Maybe it will spark a new pathway…

With warmth,

Emily

Photos: the whole team!

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 of landed now- starting a new year takes time to settle and it feels like we are there! We are finding our rhythm with the land and each other. Enjoy these photos from the past couple of weeks.

With care,

Emily

We just love the first few weeks of school! Sure they are completely chaotic and exhausting in some ways but they are also so beautiful as we get to know one another.  During this time it is important to recognize that some children and families enter a new place with slow observation and careful consideration (dip a toe in) and some prefer to go all in quickly, without abandon (plunge right in). There is no ‘right’ way to start off a new school year. The only truly fundamental piece is that the children and families are supported with love, joy and care. As we embark on our 10th year of Nature School, we want to continue to develop a strong community filled with happiness, understanding, curiosity and compassion.

With care,

Emily

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. Yes we want amazingly creative curriculum and beautiful offerings; yes we want systems in place; yes we want to share out our knowledge with others in our community; yes we need to care for our garden beds and buildings; yes we need to document learning; yes we need to make sure the dishwasher works (and everything else); yes we work in partnership with Thompson Community Association and the City of Richmond and all that entails; AND we need to make sure none of these ‘things’ get in the way of our moment to moment, slow time, in unity with children, families, and amongst our own team. And always, with joy!

Warmer days and sunshine means we can frolic and lay on grass and stare at clouds. We can simply breathe in all the goodness that is around us. We invite you for our last weeks together, to breathe, enjoy, smile and JUST BE!

In gratitude,

Emily

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, exhausting! Weaving through our programming right now is:

Friendship, kindness, equity, openness, respect, generosity of spirit, supporting one another

Clouds- grey skies, clouds, what is behind the clouds

Birds- what birds are we noticing, we do we know and wonder about them?

Storytelling- reading many books, acting out stories

Construction- building, using tools

Exploring movement and how we move our bodies and how do things move around us

Art- painting, glueing, playing with fabric, making designs with loose parts, starting to work with Aaron our public artist

Fruit- smelling, tasting, discovering

Investigating- learning to notice and pay attention

Enjoy seeing some of these ideas in the photos below!

With affection,

Emily (thank you to the whole team for photo share!)

Celebrating Lunar New Year, hand in hand with families, was so special for all of us. Connecting family and home felt so grounding and right- we have missed these types of moments the last few years. Spending time together deepens relationship, allowing us all to gain insights into one another, which allows for greater understanding. Thank you to all our families for your care and presence in making our week memorable.

Jayden’s mommy, Mei Mei, organized two special crafts for the children to take home and brought red envelopes for everyone.

Karis’s mommy, Karen, read a beautiful story written by local Vancouver author Sennah Yee and brought in homemade treats.

Bella’s family brought in homemade tea eggs- delicious!

Xander’s mommy, Michelle, brought in all the ingredients to make a glutinous rice ball sweet syrup soup- so fun and yummy!

Audrey’s mommy, Kristy, prepared a special craft with origami butterflies, flowers and glitter paint.

Hannah’s mommy, Kayi, prepared a fancy looking dragon, with lots of exciting art pieces to include in the making.

Athena’s mommy ordered special desserts fresh from the bakery and Dad, Tommy, and sister Niki brought them for lunch time. 

Grace’s mommy, Jen, read special stories and shared information about the Chinese Zodiac. Grace’s grandma also borught everyone red envelopes.

Johan’s family brought fortune cookies- the children loved hearing the fortunes inside.

Jacob’s family brought rice cookies and twists- so tasty!

Chloe’s mommy, brought lucky red envelopes, hóng bāo.

Oshi’s mommmy, Katia, brought Oshi’s favorite- xiao long bao, soup dumplings.  

Grandma Jacy shared a story and taught the children to write some Chinese characters, using a bamboo brush. She also taught the children to bow down when receiving the red envelope.

Warmly,

Emily (thank you to the TNNS team for photos and supporting all these fun activities!)

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 rested, ready to explore and learn together in 2023!

In the fall,  our team attended a workshop through NAREA. After deep dive discussions into curriculum, space and emergent learning, our team knew we wanted to make some changes to our programming- inside and out. Since then we have explored different forms of offering materials, compiling and writing documentation, and now a refresh of our indoor space. This past week our team rolled up our sleeves, put on the kettle (but we were too busy to ever actually make tea) and moved every piece of furniture, carpet, and shelf around the room. We wanted to re-imagine this beautiful space- how do we want to support learning in this home? When we place furniture and design activity centres, we are thinking about: how will children use the space? What kind of play will it invite? How many children can the space accommodate? How can this space encourage creativity and exploration? How can an area promote a calm sense of well-being? So, with all these ideas in mind, we talked, we debated, we moved and alas we came to a layout that feels right! Feel free to check it out when you have time!

Enjoy some photos from this past week- re-connecting with each other; finding dead birds, telling their stories and creating theories; challenging our bodies by climbing, leaping, and running; and cuddling up.

In gratitude,

Emily

We knew it was coming- the rain- and we wanted it to, really we did! Being out in the pouring rain with 3-5 year olds is actually pretty easy if they have good gear. Most of the time everyone is very happy to play, explore, puddle jump and develop a relationship with water. Our educators are skilled at finding fun things to do in the rain.

The true chaos and challenge arises when 20 children switch out of their wet gear and change into their dry gear. For our Eagle students, this transition happens a lot in winter. And let me tell you- it is comical. We learned early on that we needed a few key strategies to survive this mayhem.

1. Have a sense of humour. Changing wet clothes is not life or death so we can all just chill out and enjoy the ride.
2. Be patient- it is hard to peel off wet clothes
3. Teach children how to help each other so they don’t call our names repeatedly, encourage peer to peer support
4. Help when hands are cold, children are crying, undies are so wet they are scrunched up and cannot get pulled down and socks are stuck like glue onto the foot.
5. Use a calm, joyful voice in the Pod
6. Have a sense of humour
7. Know that all children will eventually get changed and get out of the pod
8. Use every little part of this experience as a teachable moment
9. Make sure the heater is blowing nice hot air
10. Have a sense of humour

Yes, sense of humour wins out on this list- a mantra for us. If you are an Owl parent and YOU do the changing in your car after class, we invite you to try out some of these strategies- let us know your experiences!

Enjoy the photos taken on the drier days.

With affection,

Emily

Most of you who know me will know that I am a true foodie- I love researching food,shopping for food, preparing food, eating food and gathering people around me to share in the delight of eating together.  A nourishing meal fills you up, in so many ways. Lately our work here at TNNS is like a rich, complex meal- filled with individually exciting ingredients and then all blending together to make something special and memorable. It is joyful work and yet it only comes with hard work and attention. Our team has been so SO busy with so many things, here are a few of them:

• Walk for Wenjack- we raised $650, thank you everyone!
• Blackberry Removal around Apple tree and Oak trees
• Compost and wood chip deliveries and hauling over to Food Forest
• BC Aboriginal Child Care Society Conference- presenting and attending
• Creating Pathways to Licensed Outdoor Childcare in BC symposium in Victoria-attending
• the NAREA conference and all that launched for us as a team- a LOT!
• Fixing broken washing machine (thanks Katharina) and upkeeping wagons, tools and toys
• Lots of thinking about documentation and children’s learning
• Supporting each child and family in all our programs
• Creating interesting and informed programming for the children
• Supporting all our B4W programs
• Compiling and placing order for art supplies (thanks Kate!)
• Writing proposals/ grant applications for some cool new projects- more information to come soon!

Enjoy these photos of your children doing their work, hopefully with a sense that they too are nourished by a full meal.

With a full heart,

Emily

There is a beautiful old apple tree behind our Cottage, next to the side yard, which we estimate has been growing apples for decades. We have much more to learn her but we do know we love her and want to help her grow! Over the years we have cared for the tree is small ways, adding supports to help the trunk carry it’s own weight so it would not topple right over. It is one of many old fruit trees that are speckled around Terra Nova. The history of the land is rich- with trees, plants and people. The memories of them are present today and, as stewards of this place, we feel a responsibility to ensure everything that has life is cared for with respect.

The last few years have been challenging for all, including the landscape, as the pandemic meant less parent volunteeers helping (for a while none) and less City resources to care for all the parks in Richmond. Apple Tree felt this neglect and she became completely entwined with Himalayan Blackberry, struggling to concentrate on her own growth and production.

Our team was concerned about her well-being so we applied for, and received, an Environmental Enhancement Grant from the City of Richmond. This grant allowed us to purchase the specialized equipment to remove the blackberry. Next will be a careful and experienced pruning of the branches in the hopes she can return to full health again.

We were so fortunate to have 3 Nature School families join us as we tackled the blackberry. There are many other areas we will also remove blackberry this year, working together with our TNNS families and Richmond community, to support the health of the foliage in Terra Nova Rural Park.

The Apple Tree covered in blackberry.

Monty & Shantelle get the tools ready.

Pulling- grabbing- cutting!

Eating the sweet blackberries as they were removed, helping a skinned knee feel better.

With appreciation,

Emily