The Rookery

During a recent Wednesday, the Herons explored the idea of a "Deca Tree," a tree that has ten trunks, each with ten branches, each with ten twigs, each with ten leaves.  After we thought about what that would mean a little together, I asked the students to figure out how…

Today as I watched the Herons work together to paint the shed and transfer sticks from the creek to the woods, I was struck by how cohesive they were.  Just five weeks into our year and they know each other.  They play together; they squable together.  They have a life…

This November 7, Prairie Creek is hosting a conference for like-minded educators from all over the country.  The conference focus is on child-centered practices and social justice.  I'll be presenting a workshop on creating a Makers program – we'll have many more workshops, a panel discussion and an open space…

Today the Herons had a very serious conversation about being a citizen.  We needed to talk because this year's presidential election had become a topic of discussion – but not in a productive way.  Students were declaring sides and they were belittling others' views.  It wasn't happening during class time but…

The Herons around our sun marker. On Tuesday, we tracked the sun a day ahead of the autumnal equinox (which was cloudy).  Having tangible experience with the sun's movement helps students begin to comprehend the reason for our seasonal changes.  We'll get out again close to the winter solstice and…

These first weeks are always hard to write about – there's so much I want to share about just the doings in the classroom.  But all the doings have background information and whys that I also want to share.  I want you to feel as though you are a partner in your child's work…

Heron Dichotomous Tree Yes or no… that was the question of the afternoon.  We set up a dichotomous key to identify any Heron by asking them a series of yes/no questions.  The first question was "Is the person a 4th grader?"  This helped us eliminate half the class.  We continued…

Sometimes, you just have to take a deep breath and dive in.  As I'd planned for Forest School this summer, I'd imagined our first crystalline day outside together — the blue sky would beckon, bird song would fill the air and a gentle breeze would stir our hair.  Instead, we…

I don't know if I'll ever feel calm the night (or weeks) before school starts — but there is no better feeling than taking off on the first day of school.  The questions, the excitement, the jokes, the ideas…everything falls into place and the cogs of the classroom machine start…

This summer, my daughter Hazel and I went on a hike together to Devil's Kettle.  We were on what I call "Hazel Time."  I had snacks in our backpack and no deadline or time we had to be anywhere (which is good because Hazel likes to take a lot of breaks…