When we walk along our “main” street during school time, we wave to the #12 bus as the drivers travel back and forth between the Metro stations. Most times, the drivers beep, beep the horn in the way of greeting. So it was truly special when, with perfect timing, the #12 drove by us during our Solstice evening lantern walk, this time without the extra sound which is fine, fine because the bus is full and the street was so crowded with all the going-home traffic. A beep would have disrupted the bustle but the driver waved and we enjoyed the connection to our place. On this evening, the Winter S ..read more

Near and Far. There are exciting changes coming in Maryland in regards to outdoor and nature schools and daycares. With the passing of HB525, Maryland’s Department of Education is walking purposefully towards licensing outdoor schools. This will be a long (and careful) process as it will result in changes to the State’s Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR). These changes are not taken lightly. HB525 will pilot programs in order to then recommend changes and additons to COMAR which will then need to be officially adopted by the legislators. Near and far. Where we are! COMAR is a set of regulat ..read more

All three age groups often walk to what we call “The Climbing Hill.” It is around 4 or 5 blocks from the school depending on how the classes decide to get there. The Climbing Hill features a steep grade, large lawn, a bush that children climb inside (when there aren’t any nesting birds in it) , and a handful of really good climbing trees. It is bordered by two sidewalks, a hospital parking lot, and connects neighboring streets with a long corridor featuring a bike/walking path and creek. We are always on the look out for those expanses of lawn — none of us, staff or student, have big lawns at ..read more

Each day and every class session, all of us, children and adults, look up at the sky, studying each corner. The children have developed a shared language of SKY. The shared language unfolds as a conversation. Each child, brings a description, pin points details, describes what is happening along the edges. Clouds and quality of sunlight are remarked upon. “It is a wash of clouds.” “No, there are patches of blue.” Oh let us all look for the patches of blue ..read more

“But these blankets have holes in them,” one of the children observes as they spread a crocheted blanket across their lap. Of course, our collection of crocheted blankets have every kind of design and vibrant color, but most of them feature those lovely open spaces between flowers and squares. All part of the design. “Don’t you worry, those blankets are made with grandmother magic. You will see, they will keep you warm as warm.” And they do. Teresa and the Seeds (two and three year olds) class cozy and ready for cold weather. “A few words on warmth - more than a few.” — Teresa, Seeds Teacher ..read more

The year winds down. Only a few weeks, a handful of days, left. I’m specifically not counting, but this year’s Tracks class is keeping count in a way that others haven’t. “Is this the last day I play the rhythm,” one asks. I force myself to think. Ada answers, though. She seems better equipped to think of the bittersweet in the beginning/endings, thankfully. We’ve, as a group, been through a lot. Two of the children moved away during the school year. Four of us had beloved pets die, too soon. In the case of the children, these dogs and a cat were like siblings, a constant in their families, al ..read more

I don’t have photos of when the children climbed or summited the “cliff of doom” for two reasons. The first is because it was pouring rain and the second is because so many of us were crying. You know how adults share classroom stories with “we,” like “we painted,” but actually only the children painted? Well, in this case, when I say, “so many of US were crying,” it truly was us crying. I was crying along with a handful of children. The only ones who weren’t crying were our other teacher, Ada, and the group of children already at the top of the cliff. Ada was down at the midpoint of the cliff ..read more

A note we found at the “Sunset House.,” one of the destinations we seek out regularly. Story is the leafy crown we weave to create a shared experience and connections to each other and to our place in the world. We tell stories of our day. We tell stories of the place we live and the places we visit. We tell stories about things we see and experiences we share. We tell stories of pure imagination. Story helps shape our voice and understanding. It gives us a mutually shared language to celebrate and provide comfort. And yes, story has foundational underpinnings in language and social emotional ..read more

It happens too many days a week to count; a mother, having just brushed aside a loose piece of their child's hair, weighted down by discarded backpacks, holding animal leashes or items for dinner or tiny colorful rainboots will smile and confide "I'm a bad mom". Layer upon layer. Maybe you have made this confession or maybe your friend has just texted a similar confession. When people tell me this, they are often met by my silence, because I usually want to give them space to air whatever concerns are going to follow this statement. But not today. Today I want to formally respond to this conf ..read more

We hiked to the Carroll Avenue Bridge. We’re talking about measurement. This bridge is impressive and it’s just past the “Big Lawn" which is what the children call the green space at the center of the college down the street. The children have been measuring that green expanse in running leaps, rolls, tumbles, and shouts. It was time to find out about how tall the tallest bridge is around here! The children stopped to read the placard which shows the previous iterations of crossings over Sligo Creek. This current version is so very high! Walking across it was terrifying, honestly, because of t ..read more