Story Journals have been an integral part of All Seasons’ curriculum since day one. Some years children flock to their journals, and sometimes the children’s interest is drawn in other directions, and they need a gentle push to reignite the use of the journals. Attempting to fan the flames, recent visits to the Inver Glen Art Studio have included a focus on storytelling.

There are strategies and alternatives to ease at least some of the pain of prepping for the elements. I can’t promise you perfection, but these tips might offer hope for progress and fewer palpitations.

Outdoor play in all weather conditions is incredibly important for young children. Not only does it contribute to their physical health, but it has a profound impact on their mental and emotional well-being.

Supporting the development of magical moments in nature is a powerful tool for empowering the children’s imaginations and sense of play. Seeing the children fully immerse themselves in imaginative play outdoors inspires me to dig into my own sense of wonder. Fairies have been a catalyst for imaginative play these last few months in the Winter Room.

What I’m noticing happening over these four years of teaching is that by being the teacher I want to be, I am becoming the person I want to be. I model and encourage connection with the seniors, see the positive reaction of both seniors and preschoolers, and, in this supportive environment, soon a self-sustaining cycle is established.

Intellectual skills include reasoning, hypothesizing, predicting, and the development of ideas. Intellectual skill development does not focus on memorization and right or wrong answers; instead, it reflects a quest for deeper understanding. Renowned early childhood educator Lilian Katz notes that our intellectual lives begin at birth as infants work to understand the world around them and the effects of their actions. The best curriculum in the early years values these intellectual skills and supports children to use them to pursue deeper learning. Children are encouraged to master basic academic skills in service of their intellectual pursuits.

My uncle Jerry taught me how to climb a tree. I was about four years old, maybe a little younger, and a big willow stood near my grandmother’s house. It had to have been over a hundred years old. My uncle and his siblings had climbed it themselves when they were my age. He showed me where all the footholds were on the trunk and which branches were sturdy enough for me to use to pull myself up into the tree. I remember feeling confident and proud of myself.

Too often, when working to interact with the seniors at school, we teachers overthink it. We worry we might be interrupting or messing up a schedule; we wonder if they’d even care about the visit or activity, or if we’ve given them enough time to prepare. Sometimes we, as educators, would be much better off adopting my daughter’s thought process: “Would this be fun? Is this exciting? Let’s do it now!”

Teachers know how critical the first weeks of school are. A class of young children is a brand new, never-before-seen community coming together for the first time. Even when up to half of the children are returning to All Seasons, the class with its new members is an entity that has never existed before.

September evokes all sorts of emotions in teachers. The emotional void left in a teacher’s heart is never felt more strongly than at the beginning of the following school year.

Of course it is natural to feel sadness as a beautiful time comes to an end, but as with many sad moments, there is a beauty to be celebrated as well…Instead of focusing on the unknown future, I am trying to focus on the present moment, and look at the beauty that was theirs and ours in the last few years. Please indulge me this moment of reflection and gratitude.

An art class tailored for the senior residents of Inver Glen happens monthly within the preschool studio. Without fail, a grandma enters the room and asks, "Where are the children?" Despite class descriptions emphasizing an adult-focused experience, (which we thought would be a draw), they want the kids!