Bulletin Board
Events, opportunities and resources for our Garden community.
Auction 2026
Can’t Make It to the Auction? You Can Still Support The Children’s Garden! Starting Saturday, May 2, visit the Fund-a-Need page on our auction site
Butterfly Tea
Join us the first hour of school at drop-off, Wednesday, April 22 for Crickets and Honeybees and Thursday, April 23 for Ladybugs
Look for an
Art Show
Please join us Wednesday, May 13, 2026 to celebrate our artists and enjoy the beautiful pieces that the children have created! Held at a new
Mousehole
News From the Classroom
Another wonderful week at The Garden! (Has there been a week that hasn’t been special?) We don’t think so!
Sunshine kicked off our week with a warm and bright day. We had a birthday circle every day this week, and we are already looking forward to returning from our Spring Break to our Butterfly Tea week
The kids were asking who they should give their Butterfly Tea invite to. We told them it was for their special guest. If Dad came to Leprechaun Day, maybe Mom could come to Butterfly Tea, or if Grandma came to Leprechaun Day, maybe Grandpa could come to Butterfly Tea. There’s no rules. We invite the kiddos to wear special occasions, or Tea Party clothes, and we invite our guests to wear their Tea Party clothes as well. We will put the paints away on their tea party day. It’s another memorable Garden high holy day, and we are sure that your child and their special guest will remember it for years to come.
We had a week of light attendance in all three classes, a few illnesses, and lots of friends getting an early start on Spring Break travel. We wish you all a fabulous fun and family filled Spring Break, and we can’t wait to hear all about it when the kiddos return.
Auction Ticket Deadline 4/17
If you haven’t purchased your auction tickets yet, time is running out. As we talk about during tours of the school, community building is so integral to The Garden and the auction is our biggest community event. We hope at least one person from each family can join the festivities and attend the auction to support our school. Babes in arms are always welcome to come to the auction. Get your sitters for babies out of arms and join us for a memorable evening. We always love the fun and excitement of the auction and talk about it for months and sometimes years after! Grab your partner, grab your friend or just bring yourself. Any way you start down the yellow brick road, it will be an Oz-tastic time.
Deadline to get tickets is the 17th. Get your tickets here.
There is no pressure to dress up or go out of your comfort zone. Some parents have a great time dressing to the theme, others wear polo shirts and khaki pants, some wear actual costumes, some wear gowns or suits, others wear simple dresses, or a sport coat. Hawaiian shirts are always a hit, and nice jeans will do just fine. If you need help finding a sitter, talk to someone in your class or a staff member for recommendations and suggestions.
This just came across our social media, and we thought some might be fun for a spring break road trip or an airplane ride:
Calming podcasts for kids every parent should know
Julie’s Library (2-6 years old) – Julie Andrews, (Mary Poppins), reads story books
Bedtime Forest (3-8 years old) – Calming stories for kids and toddlers
5 Minute Meditation For Kids (4-12 years old) Guided mindfulness, breathing, and relaxation
Rise Little Earthling: The Podcast (infant and up) encourage kids to slow down and breathe
Like You Mindfulness for Kids (4-10 years old) Encourages self-esteem and empathy
The Bedtime Scientist (4-10 years old) intentionally calm, winding down, builds science vocab
The Calm Kids Podcast (all ages) Stories written and recorded by children for children
Best Day Yet (3 and up) slow calm narration, animal adventure, gentle low stimulus audio
Podcasts are a great alternative to screen time:
-calmer for kids
-builds listening skills
-boosts imagination
-supports language
-easy for transitions – great for car rides, quiet play or bedtime.
Ladybugs
What a fun week! We had Freya for both of our Ladybug days, and we love to watch the imaginations run wild and free when Freya is here. She had fire stations, ambulances, hospitals, animal hospitals, all going on at the same time in the back room! Such a treat! The Bugs took home their Butterfly Tea invitations on Tuesday and on Thursday they brought home their Humpty Dumpty Peek a Boo books, and lots of fun art work from the easel. We are noticing the volume of the Ladybug class go up, as they begin to become Crickets! The teachers continue to look at each other, with eyes wide, wondering when they became so comfortable and loud!? Every. Single. Spring. We see our kiddos growing into the next class behavior. It is so fun to see.
We had such a fun birthday circle for Jane and Stevie on Tuesday and we look forward to welcoming our Bugs back to the classroom on Tuesday, April 21, after Spring Break! Have a fabulous break full of lots of fun and relaxing family time, and we can’t wait for Butterfly Tea on Thursday the 23rd.
Crickets
It was fun to have Cari in our Cricket class all week. The kids are always happy to see their former Ladybug teacher in the classroom. She worked with the kids on their Humpty Dumpty peek a boo books and we sent home their beautiful Butterfly Tea Party invitations on Monday.
News was fun this week, as we heard about what the kiddos knew about the astronauts orbiting around the moon, AND the news of their Easter weekends. Lots to talk about!
We celebrated Marley’s 4th trip around the sun on Friday, we drew our April self portraits, and started talking about our “All About Me” reports that the Crickets will work on after Spring Break. Belleamie gave us a wonderful example of how to do an “All About Me” report, and we love the practice for the Crickets to stand in front of their peers and share interesting details about themselves. It’s in the Cricket year that our students begin to take an interest in their peers, and we love this report where they have fun letting everyone get to know them a little bit better. We will talk more about this after the break, when we send home some papers for the students to put their pictures and information on, along with some brief guidelines on how to prepare an “All About Me” report.
Speaking of the Crickets taking an interest in their peers, we had fun on Wednesday, watching the Crickets playing as a whole group on the playground together, running up the hill, into the play house, around the slide. It was as if we were watching Honeybees! So fun to see the students evolve into the next class play habits in spring time. Every. Single. Year.
We look forward to seeing our Crickets return on the 20th. Remember, we will be starting outside after Spring Break. Come dressed for chilly, as the sun doesn’t usually see the playground until 11 ish, due to Tiger Mountain shadow. We hope you all have a wonderful Spring Break, and we can’t wait to see you at the Tea Party on Wednesday the 22nd,
Honeybees
Holy Moly! What a week! 3 Birthday circles, 5 World Culture Reports, 1 World Culture Fair, and 5 pooped staff members! We went to Ireland, Nigeria, Japan, China – and we celebrated all of our Bees and their reports at our fabulous World’s Fair! Didn’t they do a fantastic job? We are incredibly proud of all that they have learned and accomplished! Their news this week was what they learned about their country and one fact that they learned about another culture. They are indeed becoming Kindergarteners!
We celebrated Cambrie on her actual birthday on Monday, and Quentin and Coco ahead of their Spring Break birthdays. We worked on our April journal pictures, and brought home our Butterfly Tea invitations. We enjoyed the sunshine on the playground and practiced our songs and recitations for our upcoming tea party.
On Tuesday, we had an exciting incident during the Bee class, as Brook noticed a beautiful black lab running around the Garden sign at the end of the driveway, scurrying on and off the shoulder of the busy road.. Emily went down to call the dog up to safety, away from the busy road, and harbored the pup in Brin’s office. Donna had a leash and dog snacks in her car, and we got a bowl of water for the pup named “Freddie”. Brook called the number on the collar and found out that the dog was being cared for by a Garden alum parent up the hill from the school. She came down quickly and retrieved the retriever, but during Freddie’s office stay, you should have seen the lineup of students waiting for a turn to use the bathroom in Brin’s office! :0)
Another week, full of memorable moments, but also, lots of absences! – Hope everyone gets healthy and has some wonderful family and relaxing time over Spring Break.
See you Monday the 20th, and looking forward to Butterfly Tea on Thursday, the 23rd.
Ladybugs
Crickets
Honeybees
Gratitude Corner
We are sure you have heard about our Honeybee World Culture Reports. We talk about them at observations, open houses, and any chance that we have to generally brag about our program. We have heard about second and third graders asked to do a report or presentation, and the students have told their teachers, “Oh, I did that in preschool!” Some teachers have responded, ‘oh, no, not a report like this’ and then, after seeing the report, are blown away that this student had the confidence and excitement to do a report of this depth when they were 4 or 5. We can’t say it enough…The Garden breeds confidence and a comfort level to stand in front of your peers and share what you have learned. We are so proud of this, and we see it every day. This week we wrapped up our Honeybee World Culture Reports and are as proud as always. When we watch the students parade around the courtyard at the World’s Fair, singing the ‘Continents’ song, our hearts burst.
In our gratitude circle this week, we want to thank the Honeybee parents, who helped make the boards, watched rehearsal after rehearsal (after rehearsal!) of a presentation, and stood by their Honeybee to pass out food, treats, or flags of their student’s nation of choice. It’s YOU parents, who make it all possible. We encourage, tweak, prod, and gently suggest their courage to say something about a country that they are learning about. It is you parents,who rehearse repeatedly, print and paste pictures, get excited about a food treat, or add beautiful florals to the country board.
The World Culture Reports are a moment in time that showcases the courage and bravery that the children have learned in these few years of preschool, but the comfort and support of standing in front of peers with so many interesting facts and details comes from you guys. Thank you for the hours you spent helping them make their boards, the repeated rehearsals that you continued to work on, and the smiling faced greetings that you gave as they came down the sidewalk after their presentation, beaming with pride, and assisting them in continuing their joy, handing out a treat or item from their country.
Wow! What an amazing Honeybee class of World Culture Reports! One of our best ever! Thank you, parents for instilling a sense of adventure and exploration in our Bees, and for all that you do to make our student’s reports beautiful, easy to understand, and a big memory for years to come.
Rooted
Once part of the Garden, always connected.
Collin when he was a Honeybee
Collin’s first day with our Honeybees
Honeybee Sana feels thankful for Collin
It is always especially meaningful when a former student returns to The Children’s Garden, carrying with them warm memories of their time here. Garden alum Collin will be volunteering with us in the Honeybee class on Wednesdays and recently shared a favorite Garden memory along with what he’s looking forward to as an alum volunteer.
“I remember spending so much time on the playground, with my classmates building sandcastles in the sand pit, befriending the creatures that were on the playground (like ladybugs and rolly polly’s) and collecting those big round colorful glass stones in the creek. I am eager to volunteer at the Children’s Garden School because I am interested in studying and working with early childhood education and practice working with children in an environment that fosters educational growth. I also really would enjoy reconnecting with the school that I had once attended through another point of view instead of being the student.”
Stories like this remind us that the seeds planted in early childhood can grow in lasting and unexpected ways. We are honored to welcome alumni back into our community and to witness the next chapter of their journey unfold in the garden where it all began.
Office Notes
News and reminders from the office.
Grounds Maintenance Committee
We’re forming a volunteer Grounds Maintenance Committee to help keep our campus looking great. Tasks may include planting flowers, trimming plants, light weeding, organizing occasional
Tax Reports
Get year end tax access information for Garden donations and Brighthweel payments.
Come on in. Everything you’ll need lives here.
Garden Parent Portal
This is your go-to hub for all things Children’s Garden. Whether you’re looking for day-to-day logistics, a deeper look at our curriculum and philosophy, or want to revisit past newsletters, you’ll find it all here in one easy place.
Current Garden Families can visit our private password protected Parent Portal page on our Children’s Garden website using password 2526Garden!
Calendar
Please mark your calendar with these important dates.
April
- 3-17: Spring Break- No School for Students
- 22: Butterfly Tea for Crickets and Honeybees
- 23: Butterfly Tea for Ladybugs
May
Daily Class Schedule
Ladybugs
Tuesday and Thursday 8:15 – 11:15 am
Crickets
Monday, Wednesday and Friday 8:15 – 11:15 am
Honeybees
Monday-Thursday 12:15 – 3:15 pm
~ Poems~
School Poems
Part of our daily routine at The Garden is singing or saying a few of our traditional poems.
Find a printable version to our Closing Circle Song, and the poem “We Light This Candle” at the following links.