This Month in Rabbit Run Cottage...

​Hello All!  Kelly and I are beyond excited about the way the year has
started.  It has been so fun to watch the new little ones come in to
the environment and receive such a warm welcome by our older
"leaders".  It has been heart warming.  We are forever grateful for
your trust and support during this exciting time.  Many of you are
aware that observations and conferences will begin soon.  The
information and sign up sheets will be sent to you very shortly, I
promise.

A few reminders:
Friday Bag-
Remember to send your child with a Friday Bag some time during the
week so that they can bring home all of the work that they completed
throughout the week.  With that said, remember their work is just
that....their work.  It may seem like another circle traced, or just
more random shapes cut out, but you would be mistaken.  As you will
learn during Silent Journey on October 12, every single work in the
classroom is designed for a purpose and it means something to your
child.  If there is anything that you have a question about in your
child's bag, feel to drop me an email.  I will try to shed some light
on your child's hard work.

Drop off! -
At this point in the year, the children should be walking up to the
classroom most of the way, if not all of the way by themselves.   1st
year parents, I know you are working on it, but older guys.....It's
time.  (wink)  They are completely capable of walking up with their
lunch boxes and water bottles independently.  This is more than a drop
off for them.  This is a way for them to let go of whatever happened
in the car or at home, and to look at the beauty of the campus on
their own time schedule without pressure to hurry.  It's a blessing.
If you see that it is an issue for you to allow your little one to
experience the "freedom walk" with their friends let me know what you
are concerned about and we can chat.

Beauty and the Beast-

Parents, we have been talking about the World this month.  It's a vast
subject, as I am sure you can imagine, but we do the best we can.  We
have had group lessons about the continents, about Needs of Man,
compassion and how to show others we care, and about the immediate
world around us.  We are blessed to have such an inviting environment
that is filled with more beauty, life and new beginnings than we can
even see.  With that, comes the ugly, death and the end.  It's the
Circle of Life.  The Beauty and the Beast if you will....

For example,  for the past 2 weeks we have had a lovely, beautiful yet
a little scary looking, Orb Spider living in the garden.  At first the
children were nervous.  After learning about the spider, it's purpose
and how to respect the gorgeous arachnid, the children have become
attached to it.  His web is magnificent and we check it every day.

In the exact same garden, there are hundreds of Gulf Fritillary
Butterflies laying eggs.  We are watching these eggs hatch, watching
the caterpillars grow, hang upside down and then making their
chrysalis.  We are checking them every day.  You may see where I am
going with this.

Last week, we went out to find that our Orb Spider had caught a Gulf
Fritillary Butterfly.  You may think that the children were upset, or
scared, but they were so wonderful about the whole thing.  They
understood that the Orb Spider is just as important as the Butterfly
and that they both have the right to live and must do what they need
to survive.  It sounds so dramatic, but it boils down to this......
The "beastly" Spiders, Bees, Wasps get a bad reputation because of how
they look, or perhaps the way that they are able to protect
themselves, but that doesn't mean that they are any less important tha
n the "beautiful" butterflies, ladybugs or beetles of the world.
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It's a great lessons for everyone in the world to learn, and a fun one
to teach your little ones.

I hope you enjoy the pictures and will get with you soon about
conferences and observations.

With much love,

Jessica and Kelly
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