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 the sunshine for the rest of the week made us all feel happy and energized!
Day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute we are navigating our way around this place we called home each day. To watch a child delight in the dew drops on a blade of grass or to eat an overripe blackberry off the vine is a gift that we must cherish. We hope to pay attention to these delights, provoke new thoughts and be grateful each day.
Studio Work: Still Life with Vegetables, by Avery
Blowing dandelion seeds into the air is something that Ronan and many others enjoy doing; is it the power of one’s breath, the way the light shines through, the knowledge you are spreading seeds- what is it that is so fun about this activity? BTW, did you know… the flower head is actually a tightly packed mass of tiny florets, each petal represents a single flower!
First rain walk through “Stormbreaker” for the Eagle Class.
Always a creative builder, Nicholas challenges his structure’s balance by building on his own lap. Why do you think he chose his lap rather than the space next to him?
May reaches to to Vino, pouring water from her cup into a tube he is holding. Discovering how things work together is a good foundation for friendship.
This is the first time this year the Owls eat snack on the porch of the Parson’s House. Washing hands outside, getting a snack bag and leveraging one’s body onto the porch is a lot to learn.
The Owls enjoy a quiet reading time with Tricia. Ensuring there is a balance of active and quiet play is part of setting up both an outdoor and indoor learning environment.
Soyon and Elsa are creating pretend worlds as they build with wooden blocks.
These energetic Eagles run fast along the path, ready to stop at our first checkpoint, the Cabbage bench!
Inspired by our garden bounty of tomatoes, Ken’s daddy, Giovanni, organizes a cooking project; the children help to make a fresh tomato sauce to eat with pasta.
Jason and Nika help to dice the tomatoes.
Singing is a wonderful way to connect us all. Each day we sing together, whenever and wherever!
Planting garlic to over winter.
Running through tall grass is such a freeing experience isn’t it?
I think it is important to notice these two were playing earlier ( see the photo posted above). I might not have noticed this until I went through these photos and this is why looking back and reflecting on a day is so important for us as educators, as it helps to guide and think about next steps.
Collecting buttercups leaves, grasses, gravel- anything we can find! We will explore thoughts on collecting another time.
Adorned with scarves, some of these Owls are superheroes, princesses, a bird, and a bad guy who runs fast.
Why plant when you can look for worms?
Look at Erika smiling at Darel as Mason uses every muscle in his body to pull this wagon around!
Ken and Hayden carefully look for edible blackberries. Surprisingly, there are still quite a few to enjoy.
Fully captivated by Heidi’s storytelling, the Owls are learning some basic sign language– please, thank you and more.
Who knew a body could stuff themselves into this small tube for an extended period of time! Can you recognize those little heads?
Anderson shows Barry something he has found. The instinct to share our discoveries is so interesting from a sociological perspective. More photos show this same instinct.
Sloan and Ashlyn enjoy layering paint on large sheets of paper. Freedom to be alone and quiet during creating an art piece is important.
Quite simply– adorable!
Heading into the deep wild! Go Owls!
‘Till the next post,
Emily