Sprouts: April 3rd
Wednesday greeted us with freezing rain, snow, and cold... but by Thursday, the sun came out and so did our smiles!
At Community Circle, we introduced a new song and talked about Earthkeeper Qualities — the values we want to live by as a group. We co-created a beautiful poster, writing our names around it and sharing what we're grateful for. Each week we'll keep adding to it, and by the end of the session, we'll have a wonderful record of everything we've appreciated.
We also spent time tending our space, moving dirt from the old garden bed to the new one. Just one small bucket each was enough — every little bit helps when you're building something together!
Our Earthkeepers were especially tuned in to the many birds singing around us, so we paused for a Sit Spot to listen closely. Two and a half minutes of sitting quietly might not seem like much, but for young adventurers, that's a wonderful start! We'll see how long we can stretch our listening time as the weeks go on.
At the kids' request, we set up the hammocks again. They swung through imaginary seas, basked in the sunshine, and one of our oldest Earthkeepers even requested a stack of books — spending her hammock time reading under the trees. What a way to spend the day!
During lunch, one Earthkeeper took on the mighty task of turning the compost. It wasn’t easy — it took full body strength and some serious perseverance — but he got the job done!
After lunch, we played Birdbeak Buffet!
In this game, each child pretended to be a bird, using different "beaks" (tools like tweezers, clothespins, and scoops) to pick up different "foods" (objects like seeds, pretend worms, and berries). We learned that not all beaks are the same — some are great for catching fish, others for cracking seeds, and some are good at lots of different things! Ask your Earthkeeper if they remember which bird eats what!
Later, we returned to the garden dirt — but this time, for play. Worms were discovered, beetles observed, and old plant roots made digging extra exciting.
The digging soon evolved into village-building, with bridges made from bark and sticks stretching across a giant imaginary river. Dirt, bricks, bark, and lots of teamwork brought their creations to life.
We wrapped up our day with a walk down to The Flats — and what a surprise awaited us!
The whole area was flooded! Just last week, we sat on Silly Goose Beach building rafts. This week, we could only get to the bottom of the ramp. But even better — we spotted geese, ducks, and a few familiar duck friends! Some of the Earthkeepers even recognized Remi the duck paddling happily in the water.
It was a wonderful day of sun, mud, discovery, and joy.
Thanks for a great day Earthkeepers.
