The Farm Report

  • Running

    Running

  • A horse, of course!

    A horse, of course!

    I don’t mean to brag, but I really do have the most amazing bunch of parents in my preschool class. My guess is, by the end of the year, each one will have come in to share their knowledge or talent with us.

    This is mammal week. In the Montessori science curriculum, the horse is the animal that represents mammals. In an ideal world, you investigate a live animal and then move to the more abstract learning works. This has not been terribly difficult as we’ve explored insects and birds. But when one of our parents offered to bring her horse to school for the morning, I have no other response but…YES, PLEASE! As a bonus, each child got to take a ride around the campus.

    Seriously…who gets this lucky?

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  • Matryoshka

    Matryoshka

    We’ve been studying Russia this week. Each child got a blank set of nesting dolls to decorate and take home to their parents as a holiday gift.

  • Recital

    Recital

    Neko got her orthodontic appliance less than a week ago. She came to her singing class recital tonight declaring that she wouldn’t sing, so we didn’t even bother inviting friends and family. Tom even stayed home with Shep and Ellery.

    But when her teacher walked over and asked her if she would sing tonight, she had a sudden change of heart. And she sang beutifully, despite the big hunk of metal in her mouth.

    (The juxtaposition between these two photos makes me giggle.)

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  • World 8

    World 8

    A certain 6-year-old just finished Super Mario 3D Land. The whole thing.

    I can’t decide whether to be proud or super afraid. 

  • Pinecone birdfeeder

    Pinecone birdfeeder

  • Mosh visits preschool

    Mosh visits preschool

    She happened to be molting during bird week, providing an excellent explanation of how feathers emerge.

  • The Gruffalo

    The Gruffalo

  • Winter concert

    Winter concert

    Today the whole school went to the local Senior Center and sang for them. They love seeing all the little faces, singing their hearts out.

    As this is the first year of the preschool, we were first-time participants. We’d been practicing our songs for weeks, and I’m so proud of them.

    Neko and Shep did a great job singing with the older kids, which makes me smile, as I remember the year when Neko was a kindergartener, hiding under a chair so she didn’t have to sing.

  • Holiday lights

    Holiday lights

    When we lived in the Big City, we tried that drive-through holiday lights business at the local park. Traffic was bumper to bumper, and we all began feeling a bit claustrophobic.

    When we moved to our little town, we found out the local sculpture park had a similar thing, so we decided to give it a go.

    Of course there were a few less lights, but there was also no traffic. The kids were in awe, noses pressed to the windows, not wanting to miss a detail. This year, Ellery cried for the last five minutes of the path because “it’s going to be oooooover!”

    I adore this moment that occurs each year. It’s such fantastic, small-town, schmaltzy family time.