Side by Side

Each moment of each day we are all learning side by side. We all work hard to do this learning, really hard! Children are working hard to figure out this new world of being in a large group. Educators are working hard to support all their learning and social interactions. Together, with our families, we work hard to create a place where children are valued and recognized for the intelligent, creative beings they are! We also work together to ensure these children are kind; to each other, to the land, to the animals and to themselves. This is not easy, nor should it be! It takes love and commitment to work, learn and live side by side. We love it!

Reya, Emma and Cleo try to find strategies in order to pull down a tree. “You hold on to my waist and I hold on to the rope and you pull my waist and I pull the tree,” Reya suggests to Cleo. ( by Heidi)

Who doesn’t love a home grown pumpkin? Janina loves it so much she rests her face along its cool, smooth surface. This is truly connecting with nature! How beautiful and organic!

In our small group, we are exploring lines. Ronan is experimenting with creating shapes with his string. Is he thinking about the shape or the act of unrolling the string?

Heidi shows the children an old piece of wood that was uncovered. She invites them to think about what it might be, how it got there, and what it could be used for. Opening dialogues where children are encouraged to brainstorm ideas is an important part of our curriculum.

We had not really planned on digging in the garden but there were some requests so out came the spades! Sensory activities, such as this one, invite calm, social and solitary play.

These Owls are assembling the squash and kale quesadillas for snack. They harvested the kale, cut it up and are now learning to use the pepper mill. Cooking together is a way to create shared experiences that carry into our other moments together.

Rhys and Aaran work with big trucks. There is such an attraction to big trucks and wheels- how can we expand this play to go deeper?

Daily visits to the garden help us all to see what is growing and what has perished and is now rotting! Observing seasonal changes first hand is the best way to connect with the world around us.

Vino and Frazer admire the big carrots. After I took this photo, we harvested a couple of big carrots and shared them. Delicious and sweet!

I am not sure what Elizabeth and Barry are talking about but I do know that I heard them both laughing a lot!

Audrey proudly shows us the pomegranate seeds her and her mommy prepared for our snack today. Thank you for the healthy treat!

Kate starts to walk back to the Cottage with our newest Eagles to allow them some more time to get changed in the pod. I just had to snap this photo from behind as the group looks so adorable!

A small amount of hail incites elation as children touch, stomp on and ‘skate’ along the pellets.

Yehuan notices the nests in the art studio. He carefully looks at each nest then announces that one nest has whole eggs but no bird; Another nest has broken eggs and still no bird; The last nest had a bird, but no eggs. He wondered why and began to look into a nest book to see if he could identify the birds. He informs Tricia that he believes, “the egg is too small to be an owl, maybe it belongs to an eagle.” ( by Heidi)

Winnie tenderly tucks a teddy bear under a silk blanket while talking to it in a quiet voice.

In the art studio, Wayden and Myles are presented with oil pastels and a paper canvas table covering. Initially they use the oil pastels to mark the paper, but when Wayden realizes that the pastels are covered with a paper slip that can come off, they both focus intently on removing all of the paper slips. (by Heidi)

Ginny and Janina work side by side scooping, pouring and smashing flax pods. ( by Heidi)

“Mia, should we build a ladder or a tower?” Lilja asks as she adds another piece to her structure. ( by Heidi)

Vino makes a squid. This piece of art demonstrates the ability to bring an idea to a concrete representation.

Ryan uses these shakers to test balance and weight. Typically these are used in our dramatic play area so it is interesting to see that he took them away from that area to use them for something unconventional.

All Eagles and Owls will do a self-portrait for their binders.