September 19th

Summer goodbye....Happy Equinox to all our friends and families!

Another busy and beautiful day of Wren's Nest!! We were happy the rain storms stayed away, for it was our last summer day together and we had some exploring to do. Our morning started with blocks, a hunt for a missing puzzle piece, big letter floor tiles, and some watercolor painting.

We were introduced to our weather station, something we will check at the start of every day. It was a misty, moisty morning and as we closed our eyes to smell the weather many of the children exclaimed that it smelled sweet! Others noticed the smell of mud and also rain. We admired the puffy,  rolling clouds and wondered if it would thunder. After recording our observations Sarah helped to measure the wind (not too windy) and we got excited about the first snow when we will be able to see the snowflakes under our magnifying glass.

Before snack we gathered for our morning circle. This was a special circle because we all received our animal cards. Each of us picked a card for a different animal, a totem that will stay with us throughout the year at Wren's Nest. 

After snack we pulled on our boots, gathered rain gear, and set off to explore Rocks-a-moss and Fortlandia. We scrambled up the slippery mossy rocks to the tippy top of the hill, and from there spotted the huge smooth boulder and huge downed tree, this is the spot that captivated us for the remainder of the morning. We minded for some quartz crystals, made repairs to the fort roof, crafted leaf bugs and fern crowns, and had so much fun.

Once we filled up our hungry bellies with some lunch it was time to get a little cozy. Katie read us some great picture stories, we colored in our floor books, and explored the nature table.

 A curious carrot

We gathered together again and Samantha told us the story of Jumping Mouse. Although Jumping Mouse is little, he is brave and curious and completes a perilous journey with courage and kindness. "You will reach the far-off land if you keep hope alive within you..."

As all of you well know, we spend lots of time exploring the beautiful land around us. Inevitably there will be bumps, scrapes, and bruises along the way. Luckily our Mother Earth provides us with all the good medicine we need. So we started work building our "nature first-aid kit." Common Ground was very generous to let us harvest some healing goodies from their garden. We gathered calendula blossoms to craft into our healing salve and for our tummy tea we harvested anise hyssop, mint leaves, and wild ginger root. We will be working on many pieces of our nature first-aid kit in the coming weeks and I will share recipies with all of you as they come! 

Taste testing mint and anise hyssop leaves!

Wow! What an awesome 2nd day :) 

Next week Samantha and I are planning a visit up to the pond to see how the land and animals are transitioning into autumn. It looks a wee bit chilly so be sure to pack a warm layer, boots for shallow splashing, and a change of dry clothes just incase! 

Can't wait to see you all on Monday and please contact me with any questions!

Happy First Day of Wren's Nest!!

September 12th, 2016

Clear blue skies and twelve happy smiles rang in a beautiful first day of Wren's Nest! It was so nice to meet all parents, siblings, (& Hopey the pup of course!) Thank you for warming up our nest with good intentions for the year. 

After we said goodbye we all settled around the nest and got a little more acquainted with each other and our space at Common Ground. We decided on our most important rules and boundries: you must always be able to see a teacher, don't eat anything, unless it came from your lunchbox :) without asking a teacher first, and being sure to have a safe body and keep each other safe.

When all of the business was finished we took a moment to quietly take in our surroundings by practicing our "Deer Ears" for deep listening. "The river! The river! I hear the river!" Many of the children began to call out. Their deer ears were right, we could hear the river song and our first adventure together would be down the yellow trail to the soft sandy river banks.

We packed up our shovels, buckets, pots, pans, and paintbrushes and off we went. We all took off our shoes and rolled up our pants. At Wren's Nest we let the children wade in up to their knees, but even though the sun was shining the river had a late summer chill.

 Sarah, Jonah, Lincoln, Sammy, Ezra, Nash, Grant & Jackson busy 'baking'

 The Chestnut Bakery showing off their beautiful & delicious creations

Sarah made this baby Wolly Bear a raft to keep him safe on the river 

For when our toes got cold we had packed our paintbrushes and watercolors and got busy exploring the river bank for good rocks and sticks to paint. 

                                             

Maisie, Aurelia, Layla, and Wyatt adding color to the river bank

We could have stayed and explored the river bank all day but some of our bellies were beginning to rumble and it was time to head back to the eco lodge. We kept our eyes out for any red eft that may be hiding under the leaves on the trail and found a big family of turkey tail mushrooms on a fallen tree. We stopped on the way home to hear Skywoman, the Ojibwe story of how the earth was made. As the daughter of the sky fell from above to a watery world below, all of the animals of the land and water gathered around to make a place to catch her. Heron, loon, sturgeon, and beaver all tried to bring earth from the depths of the water but it was muskrat who dove the deepest and held the most tightly to the mud in his paw. Turtle offered to hold the mud on his back, and thus there was a place for Skywoman to rest her feet. In her hand was flowers, fruits, and seeds from the sky world that she brought to turtles back and soon an island grew and the land on earth was made.

Its a story of friendship, sacrifice, bravery, beauty, and beginnings and it is my favorite way to start the year. 

 Sarah, Lincoln, Grant, Nash, Jonah and Wyatt at our picnic lunch 

Maisie, Sarah, Ezra, Nash, and Lincoln on the jumping rock! 

Everybody got a turn on the big swing and a few good roles down the hill before our goodbye circle

It was a fun and busy first day of adventures! We have such a sweet and curious group of Wren's, I can tell we are in for a truly wonderful year.

Looking forward to seeing you all for another beautiful Monday!