Magic

The day of the first snows are always magical, and this day at Wren's Nest was magic for many reasons. 

We started off with marble tracks and blocks. A few Children with the help of Katie made this magical land for Oren's puppet dragon, Fiery, who came in to visit. 

And some made an impressively long marble track! 

After a nice morning and good snack, we headed off towards the pond, a favorite place we haven't visited since warmer weather. We stopped at the pink rock catching snowflakes on our tongues and mittens. 

We were excited to see the pond had begun to freeze, but not completely. We spotted cold little minnows still swimming about. 

We took off on a hike up the blue trail, a steep climb towards the top of a small mountain behind the pond. The forest was filled with magic, roots hugging rocks, sparkling snow and gurgling brooks. 

We also spotted some Chaga mushrooms growing on this golden birch tree. The Chaga that grows on birches is well known for its healing and medicinal properties. 

The climb was a big one for us so we took a few breaks on the way. At a nice flat place we played a few rounds of Eagle's Nest with some very clever hiding places. 

We stopped to hug this sweet white pine grandfather tree. 

And made our way home for the magic to continue...

Our friend Amaya's Beeba, Tom, does magic for children all over the world. You can learn more about Tom and his magic on his website Magicians without Boarders.
Thank you, Tom for reminding us of the magic we have inside! 

Tom and Ghost :)

Some call November "stick season" and lament its dark afternoons and drab color. To me, it is one of the most magical times of transition, lit up in amethyst and gold. We walk in beauty, yes we do. 

Pumpkin Olympics!

"Cut into a pumpkin 

Scoop it with a spoon 

Then you carve a little mouth 

Shaped just like a moon 

Cut two eyes to twinkle 

And a three cornered nose 

Use for teeth ten tiny seeds 

And set them in a row 

Then you light a candle 

To place it right inside 

And put it in your window 

For Halloween Night!"

After mighty winds got in the way of our original celebration, Wren's Nesters were happy to gather a bit late and celebrate Hallows Eve with the Pumpkin Olympics 2017! 

We started off the morning decorating our own tiny pumpkins that Katie brought for us from the Willowell Garden.

We had fun gluing on seeds, acorn tops, and tissue paper to create funny faces and festive displays.

Then it was off to work to get the Pumpkin Olympics started. Luckily we have 10 strong bodies, very good helpers for hauling wood and benches! 

The view from the finish line...

And we're off! Balancing on benches, jumping over logs, crawling under benches without knocking over little pumpy, and getting very dizzy before running through the finish line! My favorite part of Pumpkin Olympics is helping everyone cheer on their friends. 

And for the grand finale...the Great Pumpkin Roll! But first we have to get those unwieldy pumpkins to the top of the hill. 

Putting a little magic in before the big roll! 

And chase that pumpkin!! 

After the finale, we went to the neighboring meadow and walked back to our hill through the forest. We found a very soggy fallen bees nest and stopped to survey the damage from the wind and smelled and admired the exposed heartwood. 

We were happy to get back our cozy and festive classroom :) 

After lunch we cozied up for some funny halloween stories and enjoyed Tulsi Rose tea and popcorn on the rug. 

 

A happy Wren's Nest Hallows Eve it was! 

The leaves are falling softly down

"The leaves are falling softly down 

They make a carpet on the ground 

Then comes the wind a whooshing by 

And sets them dancing in the sky"

We have really been having fun with our marble tracks in the morning. Taking them to new heights and  coming up with new ways to stop them at the end, so we don't "lose our marbles" :) 

Our morning adventure took us to the top of breezy mountain. There was a nice rotting punky log. And our favorite balancing tree surprised us was many mushrooms growing off its sides. 

We spent some time identifying fallen leaves to find out which trees live at the top of breezy mountain. We found Beech, Maple, and Oak leaves on the ground then matched them to their parent trees. 

We also did a bit of forest weaving, a fun way to make art with natural materials. We wished we could bring it inside as a rug :)

Thank you Breezy Mountain!

The weather was just right for a picnic! We lazily ate our lunches in the warm Autumn air, although it was hard to make up our minds about keeping our sweaters on or off. 

After lunch we colored on the covered porch and enjoyed looking at and reading books together. 

And after a story and mindfulness activity it was time to play in some leaves! 

We all worked together to rake up a big pile of leaves then took turns jumping in and cheering each other on. Shrieks of joy and laughter could be heard across the land. Its good to remember the fun that can be had with something as simple as a pile of leaves :) 

Oh Autumn...we love you! 

At our sit spots we all collected something special to add to our wreath that we made from Grapevine. We thought this would be a perfect decoration for our Hallows Eve celebration next week! 

"Round and round the earth is turning

Turning always into morning 

And from morning into night"