Officially Earth Day is April 22, but truthfully, everyday at TNNS feels like Earth Day!  But a designated day helps call our attention to something with special gestures of gifts, acknowledgement, and plans.  This year we wove Earth Day into our opening and closing circles, and also engaged the children in dialogue and special projects in their small groups.  Painting – whether with watercolours, collectively with blues and greens – and even dirt- was a popular activity.  We also spent  time in the garden digging for worms, planting radish and fava bean seeds, and using buckets and watering cans to dump water everywhere.  In our small groups, we wondered what the children understood ‘the Earth’ to mean?  As Educators, we consider children’s knowledge and conceptual understanding, so that the activities we plan are meaningful and engaging.  While a few children did indeed ‘locate’ themselves on Earth, most held an image of Earth as a circle in space, which is of course how it is usually illustrated.  I am wondering how to support children to connect that very abstract image with their own lived experiences of land, water, air, plants, and animals? A project to be continued.  In the meantime, enjoy these images of ‘Eagles and Owls’ in Terra Nova! In gratitude, Kate