Gardening and May Day Gathering!

Hello Seedlings friends.  Spring is officially here, and we are edging ever nearer to being open!  July 1st is the for sure date, though we may be able to open as early as mid June.  I will keep you posted. 

Also, we got the word last week, that our application for a garden spot at the Northside Community garden was accepted! We have a spot, and I will claim it this Saturday. We will be spending a lot of time and energy in this spot, and would love parent involvement. We will be planning a work day there soon, and all of you green thumbs would be much appreciated. More on that to come.

And, as we get nearer to spending a lot more time together as a group, we would like to host a few get togethers to get to know one another better. As I said at our meeting, the Smetanka family is finishing up with our last year on the Moon-Randolph Homestead and we would like to host a May Day get together to celebrate spring and to get to know each other a little better.  This will happen on Saturday, May 5th, at 1pm, and will coincide with Bike/Walk/Bus week.  We will be giving tours of the homestead that day, and with any luck will have a May Pole dance as well.  We could use some volunteers to help with making the ribbon for the May Pole, and invite everyone to bring a potluck dish.  Let me know if you are interested in volunteering your time for this.  I will send out an official e-invite soon.

Beginning in May, we will start scheduling individual home visits with those of you signed up for summer enrollment.  This is not to see how you run your house, or to inspect anything, rest assured! It is strictly for getting to know your child better, and to create a connection with them.  Coming to your home is a way for us to bond with your child on a personal level, hopefully making the transition to Seedlings smooth and easy.  

Hope you are all enjoying your early spring, and this beautiful sunshine!  See you soon!

Meet and Greet: Reminder!

Just wanted to post a quick reminder that we are having an informational meeting Monday, March 19th (tomorrow), at the Missoula Public Library at 4pm in the small meeting room, downstairs and through the computer lab!

Hope to see you there!

xo

Meet and Greet!!

For those of you who are interested in being a part of Seedlings, but need more information, and want to meet in person; I have scheduled a meeting at the public library for a meet and greet!  Please come to the smaller meeting room, downstairs through the computer lab, at 4 pm on Monday, March 19th. 

I will have refreshments, information, and will be able to answer questions that you may have.  I will also have a schedule sheet and registration packets for parents who are interested in securing a spot then and there.  Registration needs to happen by March 26th for summer enrollment, and by April 9th for Fall enrollment.

If you plan to make the meeting please RSVP by commenting to this post, or by emailing me at the address provided on the blog.  If you are unable to make the meeting, let me know and we can schedule a meeting another time. 

Thanks!!

Seedlings has a home!

Seedlings is now officially going to open this summer, it is looking like July 1st to be sure, but there is still a possibility for a June opening.  But, the real news is that it is for sure happening by July 1st, and is in the sweetest house on the north side!

Until then I will continue to plan, gather supplies, enroll kids, and keep our Monday/Wednesday playgroup going.

Our Mondays have turned into bread making days.  We use the recipe from  Cynthia Lair's, Feeding the Whole Family.  The kids help slap, shape and paint the dough before putting it in the oven.

 

Then we serve it with lunch, which is usually some sort of soup or stew.  It has been a lot of fun, and the kids love the bread!

Moving right along...

Wanted to quickly fill everyone in on the happenings of Seedlings!  I haven't been posting because there isn't too much to post until March, when we will have our location secured and can start the enrollment process!  I have rates figured out, and have a registration packet ready to go for parents just as soon as I get the go ahead on our space. 

I also have an assistant who will be joining us at Seedlings!  She is an amazing mother, women, friend and person; and is beyond qualified for this position.  I will introduce her in the coming weeks, so stay tuned! 

It is only the beginning of February, but I feel some seeds stirring in the ground.  As these next three to four weeks unfold, I will be busy getting our registration packets and parent manuals written and ready to go.  I hope to start early enrollment by mid March. 

Stay tuned, and spread the word. 

A little at a time...

We are starting to incorporate a few rituals at a time around here.  Most of them revolve around mealtime. 

I realized that often times, in fact most of the time, because Andy and I lead full, busy lives, we rushed through meal time.  Sometimes, I didn't even sit down while eating because I was too busy getting things for the kids, cleaning dishes before dinner was even served, thinking ahead to what needed to be done next, and so on.  Dinner ended up being this rushed, unsatisfying, often stressful occasion that ended up being more centered around what one of the kids was or was not eating.  Doesn't that sound lame?  I thought so too. 

So, we made some changes.  Now, we all set the table, we light a candle, we all sit down together, we say our Thankfuls (more on this later), and we eat.  Slowly.  We talk.  I stay at the table until everyone is done, and I encourage the kids to as well.  And, when we are finished, we blow out the candle, we all clear the table and do the dishes together. 

This requires me to shift my mind out of hurry, get the dishes done as soon as possible, find something for the kids to do while I do this.  Why do I have to do this?  Why can't I be playing with my kids?  I'm so pissed that it all falls on me.  I need some help around here.  Because when I am in that mind set, the rest of the evening has a hurried, stressed out vibe to it, which actually does not bode well for bedtime mood, as you can imagine.  So instead.  I start clearing the dishes and ask the kids to do the same.  They choose which job they want, wash, rinse or dry.  We made up a little song that we sing Clean, Clean, Clean, Clean.  Clean up all the dishes.  Make them sparkle, make them shine, clean them all the time.  Not terribly exciting I know, but we made it up, and the kids like it.  And, yes, dinner and clean up takes up a big portion of our evening, way more than it did before.  But, we play while doing the dishes, the boys play in the soapy water (which has the side benefit of thoroughly washing their hands), we tell jokes, we connect.  I am not resentful that I am doing everything.  We are doing it together.  And, they feel like they are important, helpful people in our household.  It is a meaningful experience.

And, the kids are learning how to run a household.  They are learning valuable skills.  Little by little our society is getting more convenience driven, so that kids are not learning skills like; cooking, mending, fixing, folding, polishing, etc.  All of these soulful tasks that require a person to use their hands, and to slow down a little, to care for something.  These skills and tasks are important to development, I would argue even more so then any organized enrichment activity that parents pay an arm and a leg for.  Family and human connection happen when we work together to keep the household running smoothly, and even the smallest of the smalls can participate. 

Have a lovely Wednesday.  More updates about the opening of Seedlings to come!

Thoughts...

Hello Again.  Just wanted to update you on my progress, thoughts, goals, etc.  As I start to imagine this further and work out details in my mind, I'm getting really excited to put these thoughts into action.  I am currently watching a few kids (2) at home, a couple of times a week.  It has been really great.  We have found a good rhythm, and things have gone along very peacefully.  We will have another friend joining us in January as well, and I would like to extend the invitation to anyone else who may need care for their child before May.  Because our little homestead is small, and does not have the modern amenities of most homes these days, I want to keep this group small, like four, max.  However, because the kids I have now are not everyday, I have room in my schedule to add more.  Let me know if you are interested.

On another note, I ran across this site as I was browsing around some different Waldorf sites, and it really struck a chord with me.  I ordered the book, Home Away from Home, and have been reading it a little at a time for the past few days.  I am envisioning Seedlings as being a mixed aged group; with infants, toddlers and a few preschoolers.  And, as I think about how this all is going to flow, I am realizing that setting it up as a preschool is not really the answer.  Keeping the space as much like a home as possible is the most nurturing way of providing care for this type of setting.  I love how this book refers to household duties as the domestic arts, and how it really emphasizes relationship based childcare.

Kids learn and thrive through imitation.  As they watch the adult do dishes, fold laundry, cook, care for an infant; they internalize it, incorporate it into their play, imitate, and eventually do the tasks themselves.  Of course this requires patience and a willingness on the adults part to create the kind of space where children can help with tasks.  Performing the tasks with meaning, reverence, care and sense of calmness; humming a tune while folding laundry for example, actually draws a child into your space.  I know because I have been doing this with the kids I have been caring for.  As soon as the energy shifts, usually because they need to contract a little (focus on an activity, rather then simply exploring), I invite them to do a task with me.  Here is the trick though, I don't ask with words directly.  I make up a song about the task I am doing and sing it next to them, really deliberately putting things away slowly and steadily, and guess what?  At least one of the kids, usually the one who is feeling direction-less, jumps in and does the task with me.  This is all done with joy, warmth, and love.  They totally pick up on it.  It is pretty awesome. 

So, if you are interested in more of this kind of care, you should check out the site.  I highly recommend the book as well.  

I am looking to start enrolling kids for Seedlings (for May start up) by February.  If you are interested in enrolling, please contact me.  I am working on hours and rates, which will be more flexible then I had originally planned, as I have realized that some folks have work schedule needs that were different then my schedule.  Also, I would love to keep my rates affordable, and will hopefully be able to accept Childcare Resources Best Beginnings scholarships as well.  When I have finished figuring that out, I will post hours and rates.  Please feel free to contact me about any questions.  I am available for meeting as well.