Dear Nuthatch Families,

We are so grateful to have begun this adventure of learning and growing alongside your children this fall! We want to share this journey with you, so here is a taste of what we’ve been up to, from our nest to yours…

Preschoolers spread out with their lunches after a morning of focused, hands-on activity. 

These first two days at preschool have found the Nuthatches stepping into a beautiful place that is new to many of us — the Ash Grove — and asking how we can make it a home. Part of this has been social; we’ve been learning each other’s names and what brings us joy and gratitude (trees, twirling, family, and dancing – to name a few!)… And then there is the natural space around us: at snack time on Thursday, we asked the preschoolers how they would like to care for and shape our nest. The first projects they got excited about were adding to the basic structure of a lean-to shelter in camp (thanks Jed and Sean for putting this up!) — tying limbs together with goldenrod, making deer fur pillows and other furniture — and working as a family of squirrels to add nuts and leaves to our “fall sensory pit” with the awareness that winter is gradually on its way. Several children began measuring everything they could find in the shelter using bark measuring tapes. A few others began a different building project: fairy homes! 

Children working on furnishing and beautifying the shelter. 

Upside-down nuthatches (ask your children!),

Elisabeth and Mira

Dear Chickadee Families,
We can’t believe that our first two days of preschool are already behind us, but what a fun first two days they were! On Monday we gathered in the log circle near the red oak tree and Maddy taught us the Welcome Song. The lyrics are below so you can sing it at home!

Chickadees playing on the Climbing Hill with Hannah. 

We traveled down to Trillium Camp, stopping along the way to pick up special sticks, stones, leaves, and other objects that caught our eyes. The children put their treasures on the nature table and noticed a basket made of smooth white pine bark and a nest made of mud and dried grass. The Chickadees were exploring Trillium Camp when they came across a large slug. The children described what it looked like (“grey skin with black spots”) and watched as it started to move slowly across the dead leaves, leaving a shiny trail of slime in its wake. 

A child touching a leopard slug!

On Tuesday, Sarah asked the Chickadees to help her solve a mystery! She played these two sounds (play the first audio clip called “song” and the third named “calls”) and asked the children if they had heard them before. “It’s a bird,” one child said. “A chickadee,” said another. Hannah showed the group a picture of a black-capped chickadee from a field guide and explained that the little, but brave, bird with black feathers on its head is what our flock is named after!  During snack, the Chickadees heard some rustling in the leaves behind the woodbox. Everyone sat very still as a small animal with white stripes ran toward the climbing logs and sat staring at us — it was Chippy the Chipmunk! The children practiced fox-walking, walking very quietly like a fox, to see how close they could get to Chippy without scaring them away. Do you think we’ll see Chippy in Trillium Camp again this week? 

Children building a tower of wood cookies. 

We had a wonderful first week with your children and are so appreciative of their wonder and curiosity for the world around them. We can’t wait for the adventures the Earth has in store for us this fall!

Slugs and chipmunks,

Sarah, Maddy & Hannah