We have officially been here at Carp Ridge for one year now; having started our outreach for the Forest Preschool in Aug '08, our pilot project up on October '08, and having started up the full time preschool in March '09! We have learned so much from each season, the adventures/gifts/challenges offered to us by Mother Nature. We are looking forward to continuing to implement our program with each of these things in mind.
As September is here, we have two children who will be leaving the program to attend kindergarten...Laurel and Norah! We'd like to wish them so much luck and happiness at school and let them know that it was such an amazing treat having them here. Their ideas, excitement, stories, dreams, and sense of adventure were such great gifts for all the adults and children on site. We welcome visits, and hope to see them at our Camps during school breaks and the summer holidays.
In light of their departure, we have already filled the open spots with people on our waiting list. We look forward to transitioning them into the program, and will officially welcome them into the group after their first few programming days. Stay tuned!
Lastly, parents are reminded that September payments are due this week during your childs first programming day. Also, please don't forget to take your blankets home with you (once a week for full time children and once every second week for part time children) for periodic cleaning. Other than that, thank you so much for your help in keeping our bins organized and your child's gear in the appropriate place. We appreciate all these efforts! Additionally, I will be posting some Forest Preschool pictures on our blog very soon, and our Forest Preschool video will be posted on our website. If parents have NOT signed a photo consent form please let me know and I can leave one for you with Sara.
Kindest, Marlene
Monday, August 31, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Hello Heat, Good Bye Mosquitoes
Welcome back, after our two weeks closure! We really missed all the children on site, but we were happy to clean out the Learning Centre, organize a better transition zone for parents in our front entrance, and set out our goals for the upcoming months. Here are some notices for parents that will assist us in keeping our LC clutter-free and our program running smoothly on a daily basis:
- Each child now has a bin labelled with their name on it. When you drop off your child in the morning, please take clothes, comfort item, etc. and place in basket. If your bag is small enough to fit in bin, feel free to leave it there as well. If it's larger, please take it with you into your car.
- Each child has also been assigned a hook at the front door. Please hang their jackets, rain gear, sun hats, and boots/shoes at this site.
- Water bottles can be given directly to Sara for her carrying bag.
- PLEASE put sunscreen and bug spray on children at home prior to arriving at preschool. You no longer need to bring sunscreen and bug spray with you in your child's bag, as we will be providing Sara with a communal bug spray and sunscreen for Sara to put on the children at several intervals throughout the day.
- Children only need one small blanket for sleeping at the Forest Preschool. If you have sleeping bags, or any large blankets on site, please replace them with one thin blanket as soon as possible. We will occasionally do sleep-outs and will request camping gear, but they are much too large for our Learning Centre.
- Parents should be taking their child's blanket home once a week for cleaning if they are full-time, and once every two weeks if they attend part-time.
- Our catering started last week, and the children have been very happy with the meals as well as the lunchboxes they come in. If your child is talking about these boxes, and you'd like to purchase one, they are for sale at Credible Edibles in Ottawa.
Please don't hesitate to call or write with any questions. Also, a note to parents who observed the mosquitoes last week...the heat over the weekend has seemed to help and we're hoping for fewer and fewer mosquito bites in upcoming days. Cheers, Marlene
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Credible Edible Website
Here`s the website for the catering company we will be using in August on a trial basis!
http://www.credible-edibles.ca/home.php
http://www.credible-edibles.ca/home.php
Vacation Time!
Just a reminder too all parents that we will be closed for two weeks starting this upcoming Monday. This will give us time to clean out the Learning Centre, organize art supplies, create a better transition zone for our Learning Centre porch, and tie up all loose ends that accumulate over the year. We hope you have a great time together as a family, and look forward to a fresh start on August 10th!
To recap our past few weeks, the children have discovered a new site on the property which they've coined as "the mountain." They have been enjoying going there every morning, passing the apple trees along the way where they tend to sit and eat their morning snack. We've welcomed a new volunteer as of last week who will be joining us each Tuesday and Thursday mornings for the rest of the summer. Her name is Shayla and she is a keen young girl, who is very active with the children...whether it's distracting them when they say good-bye to their parents or starting up a frisbee game with them when they're feeling a little antsy. Yesterday the children discovered a small bat on the property who had just died. They examined the bat carefully with sticks, looking at all it's parts and coming up with stories on it's passing. Additionally, given it's strawberry season, we have just bought several quarts of fresh, local strawberries which will be turned into yummy strawberry freezer jam tomorrow for the children to take home on Thursday. We've had some suggestions that homemade jams may be a good future fundraiser, so look out for this in the future. For now, just enjoy the fruits of your children's labour.
Lastly, an update on our licensing process. We are still working very diligently at completing this process, from writing policies and pocedures to making the necessary building changes to the Learning Centre. We have been examing our options for food, given Ministry requirements, and until our new building is built we are opting for catering for the children. We've been looking into several catering options, looking for someone who can fit our requirements of allergen-free, vegan, local and organic. We have a trial beginning on August 10 for several weeks with Credible Edible catering in Ottawa. They have a very similar mandate as the Forest Preschool and are very excited about this potential partnership. If parents have any questions or feedback about the food their children eat during the month of August we welcome you to contact us at any time. Please feel free to check out their website in the meantime.
Enjoy the next two weeks!
To recap our past few weeks, the children have discovered a new site on the property which they've coined as "the mountain." They have been enjoying going there every morning, passing the apple trees along the way where they tend to sit and eat their morning snack. We've welcomed a new volunteer as of last week who will be joining us each Tuesday and Thursday mornings for the rest of the summer. Her name is Shayla and she is a keen young girl, who is very active with the children...whether it's distracting them when they say good-bye to their parents or starting up a frisbee game with them when they're feeling a little antsy. Yesterday the children discovered a small bat on the property who had just died. They examined the bat carefully with sticks, looking at all it's parts and coming up with stories on it's passing. Additionally, given it's strawberry season, we have just bought several quarts of fresh, local strawberries which will be turned into yummy strawberry freezer jam tomorrow for the children to take home on Thursday. We've had some suggestions that homemade jams may be a good future fundraiser, so look out for this in the future. For now, just enjoy the fruits of your children's labour.
Lastly, an update on our licensing process. We are still working very diligently at completing this process, from writing policies and pocedures to making the necessary building changes to the Learning Centre. We have been examing our options for food, given Ministry requirements, and until our new building is built we are opting for catering for the children. We've been looking into several catering options, looking for someone who can fit our requirements of allergen-free, vegan, local and organic. We have a trial beginning on August 10 for several weeks with Credible Edible catering in Ottawa. They have a very similar mandate as the Forest Preschool and are very excited about this potential partnership. If parents have any questions or feedback about the food their children eat during the month of August we welcome you to contact us at any time. Please feel free to check out their website in the meantime.
Enjoy the next two weeks!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Memories from last week:
-A beautiful butterfly fluttering around the children for five minutes, and then perching itself on a twig between them, allowing itself to be examined and adored by their little eyes. We were able to identify the colors; black and white with blue specs on the top and red specs on the bottom
-A child discovered that our apple trees have finally started to grow some apples, albeit small and probably very, very sour! We watched the apples for a while, then sat under the apple tree to see what the view was like from underneath
-We discovered a quartz rock in the Forest, and took our rakes up to do some digging and clearing of leaves. We were quite surprised and excited to find little quartz crystals that we then put in our pockets and gave a crystal bath
-We went in the garden to explore what vegetables have been recently planted, in preparation of painting the garden stakes the following week
-We continued having amazing afternoon naps in the yurt, and had a woodpecker come join us a couple afternoons on a nearby dead tree, who seemed to be disturbed that it wasn`t invited for our quiet time
-We sat under a large oak tree on our sports field and watched the clouds change colors, move quickly about as the winds began to howl, and the rain pitter-pattering ever so lightly. We were protected under the tree, so we sat there for 45 mins telling tall tales of animals who sought shelter from thunder and lightening
Ahh, this list could always go on. It was a beautiful week, and now that the summer is finally here we`re looking forward to the black flies finally being gone! Hello pollinators and good-bye black flies!
-
-A beautiful butterfly fluttering around the children for five minutes, and then perching itself on a twig between them, allowing itself to be examined and adored by their little eyes. We were able to identify the colors; black and white with blue specs on the top and red specs on the bottom
-A child discovered that our apple trees have finally started to grow some apples, albeit small and probably very, very sour! We watched the apples for a while, then sat under the apple tree to see what the view was like from underneath
-We discovered a quartz rock in the Forest, and took our rakes up to do some digging and clearing of leaves. We were quite surprised and excited to find little quartz crystals that we then put in our pockets and gave a crystal bath
-We went in the garden to explore what vegetables have been recently planted, in preparation of painting the garden stakes the following week
-We continued having amazing afternoon naps in the yurt, and had a woodpecker come join us a couple afternoons on a nearby dead tree, who seemed to be disturbed that it wasn`t invited for our quiet time
-We sat under a large oak tree on our sports field and watched the clouds change colors, move quickly about as the winds began to howl, and the rain pitter-pattering ever so lightly. We were protected under the tree, so we sat there for 45 mins telling tall tales of animals who sought shelter from thunder and lightening
Ahh, this list could always go on. It was a beautiful week, and now that the summer is finally here we`re looking forward to the black flies finally being gone! Hello pollinators and good-bye black flies!
-
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Through the Eyes of a Child, and words of their parent
Well, just last week we celebrated our six month anniversary for the Forest Preschool! With this half-year mark under our belt, we have been taking time to reflect, get feedback from families, foster new relationships with our communities, and continue feeling impassioned about the mandate of our work. I have decided to honor some of the feedback we've been getting by sharing this parent testimonial from Abby Karos, mommy to Elias. I'll leave the talking to her, and say that I'm looking forward to the next six months and beyond, of watching this program flourish and continue to inspire others within Canada.
"One of my favourite things about sending Elias to the Forest Pre-School is seeing him at the end of the day. He'll burst from the car with a stick or rock in a grubby hand and shouting for me to "Look!" at whatever prize he's brought home. His face often bears the marks of some afternoon adventure in the woods and he smells like a combination of sunscreen, citronella bug spray, sweet little boy sweat (when does it stop smelling sweet?!), and the outdoors. His relation to the outdoors has also changed in the short time he's been attending the preschool. He rolls with abandon in the grass and occasionally hugs trees - one time this was accompanied by a "thank you tree."
I have been able to spend a morning or two with Sara and the kids - wishing I had dressed myself more similarly to how I had dressed my child that morning. It was a relief to see kids allowed to do things like put their boots in the stream or move heavy rocks from place to place- things that would be forbidden at most preschools. Beyond the wonderful things the children get to experience and witness, it is inspiring to see the respectful and accepting environment that Sara and the other adults have fostered. The kids' interests, questions, opinions, and focus guide the actions for each day. How can they not feel respected? On one of our excursions, my son's attention was caught by a bird. The group was moving on and I might have urged him on had not Sara noticed his riveted gaze and stopped to allow him the space to observe the bird. He stood motionless for several seconds. In this moment, he was learning not only about nature, but also that what he is interested in is of value and worth pursuing. I can think of no better building block for starting out as a life-long learner."
"One of my favourite things about sending Elias to the Forest Pre-School is seeing him at the end of the day. He'll burst from the car with a stick or rock in a grubby hand and shouting for me to "Look!" at whatever prize he's brought home. His face often bears the marks of some afternoon adventure in the woods and he smells like a combination of sunscreen, citronella bug spray, sweet little boy sweat (when does it stop smelling sweet?!), and the outdoors. His relation to the outdoors has also changed in the short time he's been attending the preschool. He rolls with abandon in the grass and occasionally hugs trees - one time this was accompanied by a "thank you tree."
I have been able to spend a morning or two with Sara and the kids - wishing I had dressed myself more similarly to how I had dressed my child that morning. It was a relief to see kids allowed to do things like put their boots in the stream or move heavy rocks from place to place- things that would be forbidden at most preschools. Beyond the wonderful things the children get to experience and witness, it is inspiring to see the respectful and accepting environment that Sara and the other adults have fostered. The kids' interests, questions, opinions, and focus guide the actions for each day. How can they not feel respected? On one of our excursions, my son's attention was caught by a bird. The group was moving on and I might have urged him on had not Sara noticed his riveted gaze and stopped to allow him the space to observe the bird. He stood motionless for several seconds. In this moment, he was learning not only about nature, but also that what he is interested in is of value and worth pursuing. I can think of no better building block for starting out as a life-long learner."
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
From the Eyes of a Parent
Hello, I’m Jennifer Gautreau, mom to Evan. He attends on Thursday mornings and for two of those days in April I was able to run around the woods with him, his little friends and Sara. Evan’s been coming to the preschool since November and I’ve always known he goes to a special place. But this was my first opportunity to witness the program first hand.
On both days we started off with the morning contemplation that Marlene mentioned previously. It was wonderful to see such little kids being still and observing, with all their senses. Hats off to Sara for getting the kids to do this, it really is remarkable. If only I could take her lesson to heart and start my day that way!
Then we were off to play soccer but deer droppings and tree climbing quickly grabbed their attention. I’m still not sure if Evan is really interested in the droppings or if he just likes to say “poop” as often as possible. Shortly after that we were fortunate enough to see the season’s first butterfly. The boys actually watched quietly as it flitted around.
Then we found something decomposing. Using a stick, we poked it a bit to see if we could figure out what it had been. Judging by its really small teeth we guessed that it was either a mouse or a vole. After the initial exclamations of “yuck” and “ughhhh” the kids found it pretty interesting. Now that’s not something they would get to do in a traditional setting!
Other activities included finger-painting pictures and birdhouses. Sara chose nice rock outcroppings for story time and snack time. We investigated holes to see what might live underground and the boys had a lot of fun building a bridge across a little stream. We looked for sticks in the shape of different letters.
I loved everything that the boys did with Sara and she’s really into every aspect of the program. She was patient, creative and enthusiastic. Our children are very fortunate that they get to experience her kindness, compassion and knowledge.
All of these things are wonderful. But I think what really reaffirmed that this program is special is how the cycle of life is being absorbed by these kids. They get to see that animals poop in the woods, they die in the woods and that new life comes from these same places. And it’s not from a book. For them it’s tangible.
On both days we started off with the morning contemplation that Marlene mentioned previously. It was wonderful to see such little kids being still and observing, with all their senses. Hats off to Sara for getting the kids to do this, it really is remarkable. If only I could take her lesson to heart and start my day that way!
Then we were off to play soccer but deer droppings and tree climbing quickly grabbed their attention. I’m still not sure if Evan is really interested in the droppings or if he just likes to say “poop” as often as possible. Shortly after that we were fortunate enough to see the season’s first butterfly. The boys actually watched quietly as it flitted around.
Then we found something decomposing. Using a stick, we poked it a bit to see if we could figure out what it had been. Judging by its really small teeth we guessed that it was either a mouse or a vole. After the initial exclamations of “yuck” and “ughhhh” the kids found it pretty interesting. Now that’s not something they would get to do in a traditional setting!
Other activities included finger-painting pictures and birdhouses. Sara chose nice rock outcroppings for story time and snack time. We investigated holes to see what might live underground and the boys had a lot of fun building a bridge across a little stream. We looked for sticks in the shape of different letters.
I loved everything that the boys did with Sara and she’s really into every aspect of the program. She was patient, creative and enthusiastic. Our children are very fortunate that they get to experience her kindness, compassion and knowledge.
All of these things are wonderful. But I think what really reaffirmed that this program is special is how the cycle of life is being absorbed by these kids. They get to see that animals poop in the woods, they die in the woods and that new life comes from these same places. And it’s not from a book. For them it’s tangible.
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