This week, despite the heavy rainfall, has been filled with the beauty of our natural world and the glory of working outside. Horsetails are popping up all over the land, lamium (dead-nettles) are speckling our fields, honeybees are foraging on flowering plants and trees, stinging nettle is growing, the wheat in the garden is  rapidly gaining height and the most unusual development this week, the killdeer is nesting right in front of the Parson House! We have been using each one of these opportunities to discuss our role on the land and our responsibilities. How can we notice and carefully enjoy but tend to the plants and animals. What do they need from us to ensure their safety and growth? We want to marvel and show reverence to everything around us- as educators working on this land year after year, we must work at making sure we see everything with fresh eyes, with a sense of wonder so that we do not lose any sense of pure amazement.

Our mentor, Ann Pelo, shares the following:

“Accept the invitation of our glorious, miraculous earth. Like a naturalist and an artist, be servants of our eyes, our minds, our senses, and our hearts.” (Ann Pelo, the Goodness of Rain)

Enjoy the photos of children working inside and outside- exploring, sharing, taking care of each other, learning new skills, illuminating their minds with new activities and being filled with happiness!

From Heidi:

Ginny and Bevelyn spend some quiet moments together stripping the outer layer of grass reed to get to the soft foamy interior.

Alvin working on drawing the horsetails he observed.

Kyo joins in the fun first watching others run and jump into the puddle, and then trying it himself.

Lilja observes the horsetail, closely looking at its stalks.

Mia, Aaran, Daniela, Bevelyn and Emma self initiate a game of Duck-Duck-Goose. Alvin watches as the running circle becomes a game of chase up and down the hill.

With reverence,

Emily