We did it! We moved! The moment we had all been waiting for arrived on Monday. The excitement was high as we all settled into our beautiful new home. There were many new routines to learn and the week was spent figuring our new systems. Children, parents and teachers supported each other through these moments and it was a wonderful feeling of problem solving together as a community.
Something interesting also happened this week which I want to share with you. Many children asked if they could go back to the Red Barn. They missed the Red Barn– they requested to walk by it, look in the window and go inside. These feelings of longing for the barn completely made sense but they took me by surprise. In fact, we teachers missed it too. We had experienced so many positive moments together in the barn; it was where we began to form our relationships and that space will always be dear to our hearts.
The children like the Cottage but they are not yet invested in the space because they have not been here enough to attach themselves to it. We must re-visit a place frequently; notice it, respect it, look closely at it and then, and only then, will it begin to take on a new meaning for us. This is the foundation of our learning at Nature School. A place will share its stories with us, we will create stories in that place and then it will become important to us. So… here we go… ready to create stories in our new home– the Edwardian Cottage!
Here are a few other moments from our last two weeks….
Anna-Sophia is getting tea ready for Ella. The clipboard has the menu.
Evan and Kingston explore ways to attach cords to the fence.
William has a contemplative moment-what is he wondering about?
Louie is trying to interest Jack in his play. He is practicing his play skills and learning how to engage other children in his play.
Adam wanted to go deeper into the ‘marsh’ so Heidi leads the way, allowing him to follow his interest yet remain safe.
Using one of our tools (rope), the children experiment with securing the rope from one tree to another.
Ty is figuring out how to measure.
Max is helping Olina as she uses her stick to try to dislodge this stump. She concludes that a tool will provide her with more leverage than her own hands.
The children are noticing tracks and many offer ideas about how the tracks came to be here.
Ella and Finn shell our beautiful scarlet runner beans.
Katie observes Sophia as she shells a bean. Is she wondering about Sophia’s technique or is she hoping Sophia will notice her and invite her to join in?
Wyatt is concentrating as he figures out how to shell the bean by pulling on its ‘spine’.
Everyone hard at work!
Joel is the keeper of the bean bowl.
Clayton finds this fallen branch and claims it is a dinosaur bone. Soon, many children are around, shaking it to see how it moves.
The motion of walking, running, jumping, falling, and sliding through the mud never becomes tiresome.
The Eagles class begins to explore the north end of Terra Nova. The river, the planes, the birds- all are new and interesting to watch.
‘Till the next post,
Emily