Spring is here, whether the weather acts like it or not! Our Kindergartners are outgrowing their clothes, losing teeth, writing more easily and in greater volume, and looking increasingly like incipient First Graders every day. 

We have screened a number of candidates for this fall’s Kindergarten class, and the differences between those 4-5 year olds and our 5-6 year olds stand out in stark relief. What a difference a year makes! Development takes time, and maturity happens at its own pace and is usually not ‘of a piece.’ Where one child may be a good reader (already!), another shows great leadership skills and is able to organize his peers, a third shows advanced gross motor coordination, and still another manifests the ability to think divergently. We are enjoying watching how this year’s ‘crop’ of Kindergartners is maturing, and seeing ways in which some of the areas of relative weakness ‘catch up’ to the areas of strength, while those areas of strength continue to grow.
 
Now that our Spring break is over, we enter a time marked by its speed. Along with this ‘quickening of the pulse’-- which matches the rise of the sap in the trees and the return of the songbirds -- comes a need for fresh air and open space. With that in mind, and ever aware of the rich science bounty available to us at our doorstep, we plan to make some forays into the world beyond the Tree Garden and Applewild boundaries, on some neighborhood hikes. Just up the street is some Audubon land, which we typically visit on a Fairy Hike or two. 

In practical terms, what that means is that your child needs to come prepared to be outside for a prolonged period of time Tuesdays or Thursdays. Rain will not deter us, unless it is truly horrendously inclement, so rain boots or rubbers and a good slicker will be de rigueur. We will not use umbrellas in the group setting. These rambles may be lengthy, so comfortable shoes and layers of clothing, which your child can handle easily will be useful. 

We just know that signs of spring are out there waiting for us to discover them . . .
Some of you have expressed an interest in coming in to share a book or activity with the class. Others may want to consider having their Kindergartners with summer birthdays celebrate in school. If either of these ideas piques your interest, please contact us soon; our calendar fills up quickly at this time of the school year, and we do not want to leave anyone out! 

And, of course, we are pushing ever forward on rhyming, blending, segmenting, spelling, syllabication, place value, geometric shapes, adding, subtracting, problem solving, community building, cooperative projects, responsibility, respect . . . the list goes on! No wonder our days feel so full!
Happy Spring!

Ginger Sauer
Katy Niose
Michelle Janoschek