Bulletin Board
Events, opportunities and resources for our Garden community.
Apple Fest
Join us, Thursday, September 24, 2026 at 6:00 pm at the school for our all family Apple Fest! Sign up to bring apples or food
Homecoming
Kick off the year with an adult only evening of fun, food, games, and a little friendly competition! Friday, October 2 – 6Pm at Blakely
Pumpkin Patch
Join us for an all school Pumpkin Patch, Friday, October 23 at 12:30 pm at Carpinito Farm Fun Yard 6720 S 277th St, Kent, WA
Mousehole
News From the Classroom
We are off to an amazing start! Last weekend, on Saturday, we had the All School Work Party, and on Sunday, we had the Board retreat and first board meeting of the year. Thank you to everyone who came in on the weekend to help us get everything ‘ship-shape- for the new school year.
Seeing the students’ faces light up when they walk through the gazebo reminds all the staff of why we love this job so much. We see and feel pure joy every single day. Oh! My goodness! What growth! And, not only physical growth, but manners, sharing, friendship, and skills. These Garden kids have got it going on! On the first day of Cricket class, one of our students took a little tumble and had a few tears on the playground. Without coaching, 4 returning students and 1 new student came over immediately to check-in with the student, and reassure them that all was going to be okay! So sweet.
It takes a few sessions for the entrance and exit routines to become second nature, but everyone is doing a great job learning the ropes. Remember to always hold hands in the parking lot and to back in your cars to the spaces. Safety is our number one priority!
Next week is our fun first family event, the Apple Fest! This is an all family event and fun for everyone. We will be parking cars in the lower parking lot and walking up the driveway with a pot luck item to share. In the courtyard will be an apple press pumping away to make some fresh cider to sample and on the playground will be an old fashioned sing-along. It’s always a wonderful time for the kids to excitedly share their school with their families, and to catch up with old friends and meet some new ones. We hope you can all make it next Thursday the 24th from 6-7.
Read on for class news. Have a great weekend!
Ladybugs
What a sweet little crop of Bugs we have this year. We enjoyed welcoming our littlest littles to the classroom on Tuesday with their parents, to introduce an abbreviated daily routine. On Thursday, they made it official! They came for their first day, walked into the classroom by themselves, (Great job, parents!) and settled in at the playdough table, making Ladybug hats, and discovering all the toys and spaces of the school that they love best. We had dress ups going on, lots of easel paintings, climbing up the ladders and going down the rope, cars and trucks and blocks, stuffies, and tea parties and story time, Oh My! We had four or five criers, which is not unusual, and the tears were finished by 8:45. Some of them started up again at the end of the day, when they saw their family in the gazebo and didn’t quite understand why they had to have one more circle to say “goodbye”, but all in all, it was a great day. The staff is excited to watch these littlest littles grow in comfort and confidence over the next few weeks and be ticking like clockwork in no time. We sent home our “Belleamie V.2.0” in her suitcase for the first home visit this weekend. Gwen is going to have a few sleeps with Belleamie at her house and will come back with the little booklet/journal to tell us what she did with her time. We had our first ‘Bell Ringer” on Thursday, and Jamie got to ring the bell at the beginning of school, at clean up time, and out on the playground when it was time to clean up outside and line up on the bridge to come inside for our Goodbye Circle. The room parents made adorable ‘goodie bags’ to set the year off on a celebratory note. Let us know if you have any questions about the routine. We are all adjusting to a new year, new routines, new parents and grandparents and it will take a few sessions before it is all running smoothly. Thanks for your patience and we are so excited to have you all here!
Crickets
The Crickets started off Monday morning with fresh faces and new backpacks and raring to get out on the playground! The morning routine is new for these hoppers and they did a great job of finding their hooks to hang up their backpacks, pop their snack into the wagon and then wait with their friends for the bell to ring to head out to the playground. We didn’t have any tears (at least from the children!) and we watched some new friendships start to take shape. Everyone did a great job of coming into the classroom after the playground and set up their snacks. Great job, parents, at helping the kids learn how to open their own snack boxes and water bottles. We learned that the lyrics to the alphabet song are actually ‘letters’, and we use letters for reading and numbers for counting. We learned about the letter “A” this week and on Monday, the students are invited to bring in something for ‘show and tell’ that starts with a “B”. We had our first Birthday Circle of the year when we celebrated Emery on Wednesday. It’s so fun for these kiddos to watch as Parsley Flakes, our birthday unicorn puppet comes out to gift the birthday kiddo a sparkly crown and watch them walk around the sun 4 times to beat the drum. We started learning some new songs that are old favorites for our ‘sing along’ at the Apple Fest next week, and the children are already saying some of the words of our opening circle poem. This morning, we started the class up in the forest instead of the playground. What a beautiful campus we have here at The Garden! A great first week and we are off to a great year!
Honeybees
It was so great to see all the Honeybees buzzing back to the classroom on Monday! They all seem to have grown more than an inch or two! The Bees kicked off the year with an adorable scavenger hunt that led them all over the campus to explore and discover new places and things at The Garden this year. Along the way, we learned about the rules, routines and guidelines that go along with each space. An extra special discovery this week was a real live praying mantis! The Bees had so much fun observing and learning about this little critter! Brook says it is a first for her to spot one on the playground, so that is saying a lot!
The new students slipped in seamlessly to the group of returning Gardeners, and we saw wonderful friendship skills from everyone. We learned the “Way up High in the Apple Tree” poem, and had our first poetry recitations on Wednesday, where each student stands at circle in front of their peers and recites the poem to get a star on the “Poems we Know” chart. Bravo to all our brave Honeybees! We continue to learn about apples and at our ‘science center’ in the classroom, the students can smell, touch, observe with magnifying glasses, etc. real apples. We did a wonderful stamping art project with apples and other vegetables and are preparing our songs and finger plays for the Apple Fest, next Thursday evening from 6-7pm. We’ll have the cider press out, our campus will be decorated with fall decor, lots of delicious pot luck items will be on the Movement Room Deck, and an old fashioned sing a long out on the playground will close out the evening. We hope you can all make it.
The Honeybee room parents held a class meeting on Wednesday to kick off the year.
Here we go! We are off to a great start!
Ladybugs
Crickets
Honeybees
Dear Luna
Luna is our wise owl friend, who loves to observe kind behavior and successful behaviors! She often comes to our circles at school to report on some great actions and activities that she noticed during playtime. She has witnessed a lot of wonderful behaviors and is always willing to give some helpful advice on how to make these moments occur more frequently – She welcomes questions throughout the year and shares her ideas for students and adults to get through the different challenges that may arise over the next ten months.
Luna, when I ask my preschool child what they did, or, how was their day, I get nothing! Any tips, ideas, or should I hide out in the creek and spy with a snorkel?
Oh, my, no! The creek is not deep enough at this time of year to hide out, but I do have some other suggestions!
You are dropping your child off at school, many for the first time and you obviously want to hear all about their day!
Sometimes they’re ready and willing to chat, and sometimes they are not. Both are totally ok.
It’s very common for children to need some time to decompress after a day at school.
So, if you find your child is not responding to your general and abstract; ‘How was your day?’ try something more specific. No need to bombard them. Just start with one question..
No pressure here. Follow their lead. You can also wait for bedtime! They often want to extend their time with you before you leave their room.
Oftentimes, some silence or some music and a healthy snack and drink is best for right after school. The communication can naturally flow after.
Stop asking your preschooler, what did you do today, but instead, ask,
“Who did you play with today?”
“What was the silliest thing that happened today?”
“Did you hear any stories today? What were they about?”
“Can you tell me if anyone was kind to you today? Was there a time today when you were kind?”
“Did anything make you laugh today?”
“Did anyone in your class need help today?”
“Was anyone in your class upset today?”
“What is your favorite part of school?”
“Did you hear any new words today?”
“Who did you sit next to at the snack table today?”
Keep in mind that these answers might also be brief, or without knowing their classmates names, they might say, “Blue shirt guy, or purple sock kid”, or they might just sit and stare at you! – but you will be giving them ideas to ‘look for’ during the next class time. Often, a child might give the same answer every single day: “I didn’t play with anyone.” This might be the easiest answer for them to think of, and they might be looking for some extra comfort and attention after missing you, their favorite playmate. The teachers can tell you that we don’t very often have someone off in the corner playing all by themselves, as we are a play based program and will always help the kids move from parallel play to partner and group play. If you have concerns about your child’s answers, you can always check in with a staff member.
Don’t bombard them, ask only one question, and know that when they have fully decompressed and taken everything in, they will share with you. Give them some space.
You can always submit questions for Luna to answer through Brin or through the rest of the staff. They will get the message to our observant and wise friend.
Love,
Luna
Gratitude Corner
WOW! We are the luckiest little preschool in the world! The most supportive and helpful parents in our ‘village’. Last weekend we had several parents helping out the staff at the All School Work Party, raking, shoveling, cleaning, and setting up our playground for a year of fun! The rain that was promised held off until Sunday and made the work party all the more brighter. The teachers have been bragging to the kids all week about what jobs their parents did. On Sunday, the Board of Trustees and Staff met for a retreat in the Movement Room and our first Board Meeting of the year. We cannot thank the volunteers enough that make this program run. The staff as well, spent last week getting the classroom ready, after a summer of individual class retreats, and all school staff retreat, fulfilling auction events, touring the campus with prospective students, taking on huge projects on the playground, and researching and planning fun projects and themes for the upcoming school year.
It really does take a village to make The Children’s Garden run so smoothly, and boy! We sure are appreciative of the wonderful Village that we have in our Community. Thank you so much to every one of our volunteers.
A Thank you gift for Work Party Volunteers is in the office!
If you volunteered at our work party or took some items home to wash or clean, we would like to gift you a Garden Hat. Please stop by the office!
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.
Outdoor Gear
The right layers help keep children comfortable and ready to explore, play and learn outdoors in all kinds of weather. View handy tips, layering guide
Start of School Guide
The start of school is a big adventure—for your child and for you! Whether you’re feeling excited, nervous, or a little bit of both, this
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 Garden2627!
Calendar
Please mark your calendar with these important dates.
September
October
Save the Date!
- December 8: Winter Celebration
- May 14: Auction 2027
- May 21: Art Show 2027
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.