Wild Acorns Nature Preschool

May you all have a restful winter break 💜

"So many feel lethargic,
unmotivated or worn out
in this hemisphere.
We are really not made
to rocket straight
through winter,
ablaze with energy.
Look at nature.
The ground and plants
and animals
are deep at rest.
This is the natural
way of things.
Spend some time
with the long nights,
the moon, solitude,
the bare earth, stillness.
Be easier on yourself. "
Victoria Erickson

Artist: Randi Lynn Reed - Winter at Squirrel Hollow

Pairing by Whispers from the Heart

December Recap at Wild Acorns Nature Preschool

What a magical month we had!

✨ Gingerbread Playdough Families: Creativity and imagination filled the classroom as little hands crafted adorable playdough families.

🎤 Jingle Jams Concert & Talent Show in Candy Land: It was so sweet seeing the kids in their adorable candy costumes, singing their hearts out, and embracing their speaking parts with confidence. Even the chickens joined in for a song, adding their own special charm to the performance!

🎁 Nature Gifts for Parents: We crafted calendula lotion bars using flowers grown by last year’s class—a heartfelt gift from little hands.

📬 Field Trip to Hunter Farm: The children delivered their letters to Santa’s mailbox and enjoyed the barn animals.

☕ Moms’ Tea House Morning: A special time for some of our wonderful moms to connect and relax together.

Wishing all our families a joyful and restful break. See you back on January 6th for more wild adventures!

🌟 November Recap at Wild Acorns Nature Preschool 🌟

November was full of heartwarming moments and hands-on learning! Here’s a peek at what we accomplished:

✨ Martinmas Lantern Festival
The children crafted beautiful lanterns and practiced their lantern songs. Families joined us at school to create their own lanterns, enjoy a potluck meal, gather around the fire for reflections on being lights in the darkness, and walk together through the forest singing lantern songs.

🦃 Thanksgiving Party
We celebrated Thanksgiving with an all-school gathering during the school day. Parents joined their children for a festive party where the little ones sang an adorable song about giving thanks as our outdoor fire roasted cinnamon apples.

🌿 Life Cycle Studies
This month, we explored a variety of life cycles—from turkeys and squirrels, to poppies (in honor of Veterans). Through stories, open-ended art, and engaging discussions, the children deepened their understanding of nature and history.

November was a month of connection, gratitude, and growth. We packed a lot into these weeks and are so proud of our little learners! 💛

🍂 October Highlights at Wild Acorns Nature Preschool! 🎃

What a busy and exciting month we’ve had! From jets and apples, to pumpkins, spiders, and bats, October was packed with learning and fun. Here’s a look back:

🌟 We took an all-school field trip to Hall Family Farm.
🎨 Enjoyed face painting right at school.
🍁 Celebrated the beautiful changing leaves with outdoor play and exploration.
🔥 Gathered for a cozy evening family potluck around the campfire, where the kids melted hearts singing, “Our school is a family.”

This month was filled with laughter, learning, and memories. Thank you to all the families who made it so special! ❤️

Our first few weeks of school have been so exciting under our forest canopy. We’ve had farm, pirate/mermaid (beach/tidepools) and ocean themes. Up next is Apple week, our field trip as a school to the pumpkin patch, and an evening Sausage and S’mores potluck at school. Wishing time would stand still it’s all so magical!

🌿 We’ve kicked off the new school year at Wild Acorns Nature Preschool, and what an amazing start it's been! 🌱

In the past week, we’ve connected at our parent meeting, enjoyed a Back-to-School Popsicle Meet & Greet, and had two days of school.

At the meet and greet, students created snack mats featuring their family photos and made 'magic' keychains with beads that change color in the sun, assuring us of a wonderful year ahead.

The children met new friends, held chickens, built fairy gardens. and got creative in the mud kitchen, making some incredible masterpieces.

Looking forward to many more nature-filled adventures together!

🌞🌿 Our Nature Preschool had an unforgettable "Fun in the Sun" Messy Camp this week! The kids let their imaginations run wild as they created magical fairy gardens, slaved over mud kitchen delicacies, turned a shower curtain into a finger painting masterpiece, and played the messiest games ever! 🎨✨

Some highlights were an epic color war with Holi powder, slime-making adventures, and an all-out giant foam machine party! It was a blast watching them explore, create, and have the best time getting messy.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and made it so special. Here's to more sunny, messy days ahead! 🌞💦

Last week of school we celebrated all things summer, summer birthdays(complete with making pool noodle cupcakes!), and had a water party! Saturday is end of year celebration/graduation. What a magical year it has been. Thank you families for believing with me in the Wild Acorns dream.💜

While we do some cognitive learning, it is Montessori style and the children choose what peaks their interest. During our snack time, we do social emotional learning, listen to a story, and learn as a group in ways that are short and sweet. They leave KNOWING they are excellent at learning and being in a community. 💜

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6mjEf-Po1e/?igsh=YjdtazJkeDZ5d3V2

You don’t have to send your child to kindergarten… In fact, kindergarten is the easiest possible “grade” to homeschool… If you want to send them, if that works for you and your child, carry on… But if you don’t want to send them? Guess what? You don’t have to. Children this age learn best through play… Do kids still play in kindergarten? Sure! At least, I hope so…but the BULK of their day should be play at this age. Play IS the work of childhood. Running, jumping, spinning, creating, imagining, exploring…these are actually CRITICAL for brain development and future academic learning. Should you teach them letters and numbers? Sure…if they’re ready…if they’re interested… Do you want to know the best way to build early literacy in a developmentally appropriate way? Read them books! Offer learning experiences…if they’re not interested, move on and offer another time…later that day, the next day, next week, next month, next year… Kindergarten is not the time to worry about “getting behind.” It’s the time to create peaceful rhythms, spark wonder, joy, and curiosity in learning…bring them to museums, and nature centers, wildlife sanctuaries, and libraries… It’s the time to teach good habits, and how to regulate emotions…how to communicate well, how to contribute to the family as a valued member… And to PLAY. And to PLAY. And to PLAY. To create and engage in sensory experiences. For our favorite sensory play, comment PLAY and I’ll send you a code to our beloved “bubbly” Do you have a kindergarten-aged child? #kindergarten #homeschoolpreschool #homeschoolkindergarten #homeschool #1000hoursoutside #wildandfreechildren