Every Friday after lunch we meet with third and fourth grade reading buddies from Mrs. Hale's class. This is  a great opportunity for kindergartners to establish a relationship with older childrenin the school while giving third and fourth graders a chance to be in a mentoring role. We will switch partners throughout the year so children can make multiple connections across grades. Ask your child who their current reading buddy is.

We have had 2 fantastic sessions of ECO so far this year. It is a big deal to spend a few hours away from school in the forest each week, so we spend a lot of time establishing routines and learning clear expectations for each part of our morning. All of our expectations fall under the broad umbrella of the three cares: take care of yourself, take care of each other, and take care of the earth. We also have some very specific expectations including forest boundaries, how to be safe around the safety circle (where we will hopefully someday have a small fire), and how to treat living things in the forest. 

Each week during ECO we follow the same general structure while varying our games and activities. When we first get off the bus we stop in the field where we greet each other, share something we are thankful for, and play an active game. We then make our way to our spot in the forest, paying close attention for Nature Notes along the way. When we arrive in the forest we gather around the safety circle to share these notes and hear a story. This is followed by our guided exploration for the week. Most weeks children also have a little time for forest choice as well. Finally we end our sessions by visiting sit spots, where children can draw or write in journals, drink some tea, and just enjoy the quiet forest for a few mintues.

Last week we focused on building red eft houses, as our space has an abundance of these colorful creatures right now. Their presence has provided a great opportunity for us to talk about being guests in the forest, and how we can visit this site each week while respecting all of the living things that call it home.

On Tuesday morning the Kindergarten class was once again priveleged to have the opportunity to vote on the dog tag shape and color for the coming year. Jen Peterson, Waitsfield town clerk, generously came to school and set up a formal vote for students, including the locked ballot box. After a brief explanation of the voting process, each child was invited to check in with Jen before casting their vote. Once all ballots were securely in the box, we counted the votes. The next round of dog tags will be blue daisies. Thank you to Jen for involving our class in this hands on civics experience.

We have enjoyed watching our caterpillars rapidly grow and change as they go through their metamorphosis.  This week we have had the great fortune of watching several butterflies emerge from their chrysalises. When the butterflies first come out they are extremely delicate, wet, and shriveled. As they slowly pump the fluid from their abdomens into their wings, their wings expand and straighten out, and in several hours they are ready to fly. This week, after thanking them for being our guests and giving them quiet wishes for a safe journey, we have released 8 butterflies.