Spring Gardening

Our garden is getting some new color from our first plantings this spring! We have just begun to plant some flowers, herbs and vegetables in our outdoor classroom garden. Many selections reflect the house colors of our four house tables - red geraniums for Firedrake House, blue lobelia for Slatebeard House, yellow cleome for Maia House, and rosemary for our green Shimmertail house.

It was all hands on deck as we dug holes for new plants, added compost, gently coaxed the plants out of their pots and gave them a good drink to help them adjust to their new space. At recess, many students enthusiastically volunteer to do daily watering to keep our garden well hydrated.

We have also used one of our large white planters to create a 3 sisters mound to complement our Native American Study. These three "sisters" (corn, squash and beans) were traditionally planted together as they grew so well collectively. The tall corn stalks support the growing vines of green beans and the large leaves of the squash shade the base of the other vegetable plants.

We are looking forward to our upcoming walk to Tilly's to choose even more plants to add different colors, scents and shapes to our outdoor space!

Native American Study

This week we launched Native American Study! This is our second Multiple Intelligences Study giving students multiple opportunities to learn through stations geared to different kids of smarts. In our first round, students will produce a play from a Native American legend, weave a pot holder on a loom, choreograph and perform a dance, construct and play a musical instrument, create a Kachina doll, and try out some traditional Native American games.

Through these experiences, kids develop a deeper understanding of the culture of Native American customs, skills and traditions.  Legends of the oral storytelling tradition were not only to entertain, but to explain natural phenomena (like the origin of the Lady Slipper orchid) as well as reinforce the importance of behaving in way that supports the success and survival of the larger community.

Weaving was an important skill in Native American life whether it was the weaving of wool fibers (as in the rug making of the southwest) or of grass fibers (as in the reed mats of the eastern woodlands).

Dances were done as part of many ceremonies to encourage the growing of crops, encourage desired weather, celebrate victories, good harvests, new life, and to prepare for hunts or battle.

Kachina dolls embodied the spirits of deities in the Hopi culture. Men would dress up and dance as Kachinas in full regalia for different ceremonial dances throughout the year.

Check out the pictures below capturing some of the great work the kids did today.

Play of the Legend of the Lady Slipper:

Weaving:

Eagle Dance:

Drums and shaker instruments:

Kachina Dolls:

Town Forest Walk

This month the Town Forest is showing definite signs of spring! Trees are budding with that green-yellow color that only lasts for a short time before the deeper green leaves come in. Lots of plants are sprouting and some are in bloom already. Unfortunately, the ticks, garlic mustard and the seven minute itch are up as well.  

Our vernal pools have water and are ready for the waking amphibian population to lay eggs. These sources of water are only temporary and will dry up with the warmer weather.  And while we did not see any frogs or salamanders today, we did spy a few slithering snakes and even a hatchling snapping turtle! 

In making our observations of the forest in spring, kids also started to scout out good locations for their structure making challenge next month on our final walk. Kids looked at spots clear of poison ivy and seven minute itch (though that will change after a month of growth), as well as spaces that would be advantageous due to higher elevation and proximity to water. They are ready for this upcoming adventure in the forest!

 Garlic Mustard:

Seven Minute Itch:

Vernal Pool with Skunk Cabbage:

Another Vernal Pool

Poetry Partners

This week we partnered with our 3-4 buddies to write nature poems about the plants, animals, weather, and sky of our beloved Lilja trail. 

As poets, we endeavored to replace “fuzzy” words like “awesome”, "fun", “cool”, and “amazing” with more specific language which would create an image in the minds of our readers. Cracking open these words led to some very poetic language to describe our favorite aspects of the outdoors, or draw some surprising comparisons (like the leaves on the ground are like the toys on my playroom floor - scattered all around). 

As this project continues, we hope to select our favorite poems to laminate and mount along the Lilja path as a kind of living anthology for friends and strangers to enjoy on their walks behind our magic door. 

Below is just a small sampling of the great poetry being written. Enjoy!

Final Cafe

This week saw our last cafe. Our last group of cafe workers earned lots of tips for their great customer service! We would like to thank you all so much for your support. Whether as a baking leader, a cafe manager, or a patron, we could not do this project without the help of all of you. The kids would like to keep on going with the cafe, but the torch will be passed to 2CO next week.

In total, we earned $672! About half of the monies will be donated to WCS to go directly to rainforest conservation. We're having a speaker from Wildlife Conservation Society come to talk to the kids and we will present the donation to him. The rest of the monies will purchase new plants for our outdoor space. Our springtime work outside will find us working hard planting and cleaning up our outdoor space.