The Fiddleheads Went Over the Mountain

Originally published Mar 15, 2022

Hello everyone,

I hope that this finds you all well and happy. We had an exciting week last week finishing up our unit on mountains and valleys. I missed out on the first week of the unit, but Zena, Grandma Bonnie and everyone had some pretty awesome times talking about how mountains are formed, examining and building mountain ridgelines, building volcanoes, and had a super fun "campout" and cookout in the mountains on the first Thursday of this unit.

Last week we talked about valleys and rivers, and how water wears through mountains and changes them to make valleys. We sailed boats and examined currents, we talked about where rivers begin and where they end, and we imagined ourselves as part of a river and the journey that we might take.

On Thursday we hiked up to Robin's Rest at the Equinox Preserve. We had a gorgeous bluebird day right after a fresh snowfall, but the sun was warm and by the end of the morning the snow was melting all away. We ate snack next to a spring fed stream that originates high on Mt Equinox, and talked about where that stream begins and where it is going. We had some tired legs toward the end of the climb, but we all made it and enjoyed a great view and a sense of elation at having come all the way up and at being able to see our valley down below. It was pretty smooth sailing all the way down and we made it back more or less on time.That was about a 2 mile mountain hike, which is pretty impressive for a group of preschoolers! It was no biggie for forest preschoolers though.

During a torrential downpour, perhaps in a river, we lost the school phone last week. Happily it was insured, and a replacement is coming today. You should be able to reach us on the school phone again tomorrow or Thursday at the latest. Thanks for bearing with us during its absence, and in case you still need it my personal cell is 207-831-5655.

We have started maple sugaring this week! We are learning about the equipment, the process, the ecology and the plain old magic of making maple. I really recommend that you check out some sugarhouses if possible as a family. This weekend and next weekend are open houses around the state. You can find out more about it here. I know that Merck Forest in Rupert is having an event on Saturday, and they have a beautiful setup and the biggest boiler I have ever seen. The road is a little muddy and narrow to get in there though, fyi, but it's a very magical place.

Please mark your calendars, Spring officially begins on Sunday with the Vernal Equinox! We will be celebrating together as a school community on the evening of Monday, March 21st at school between 5:00-6:00 pm. We will sing some spring songs and poems, start some seeds, and hopefully we will be boiling more sap too. We've already got chicks and a bunny! We will also be drawing from the Hindu springtime celebration of Holi and will have bright Holi colored powder to decorate ourselves. The whole family is invited, please come if you can and you can wear white clothing, gardening gloves and mud boots to get the most out of this event, but you are most definitely welcome as you are.

May you be happy, may you be healthy, may you be peaceful, may you be filled with joy!