Embedded Files
Creek Journaling
(Learning Links: Story Telling & Literacy, Science & Stewardship)
This week in the Carriage House, both the Bluebirds and the Cardinals have found a moment to settle in for some creek time with their journals. It was so great to see the excitement on the Bluebirds’ faces upon reading the Welcome Message that we would be creek journaling that morning. Some kids exclaimed, “Creek Journal 6! That’s how many we did last year!” followed by, “Each year we should do more Creek Journals than we did the last year”. We got our gear on, our pencils sharpened, and with journals in hand, we began our hike down to the water. The sound of the rushing water inspired focused minds, and creative entries. After journaling, a few volunteers read their entries to the class in a sharing out circle. We realized that a handful of kids noticed a particularly playful stick in the water that looked like it was dancing. We said goodbye to the creek by doing the “dancing stick dance” together before heading back up to the Carriage House.
Since the Bluebirds got to begin their day on Wednesday with the calm and invigorating energy of the creek, the Cardinals were then able to end their day that way. Using the afternoon Flex Time, which is a longer block of time than in the morning, these elders challenged themselves to really slow down and notice the details in their surroundings. Upon our arrival to the creek, joyful cries of "My tree! My tree!" could be heard from several, as they took their spots beside the water's edge. It was heartwarming to hear the kind of greetings you would expect to hear when being reunited with a dear friend you haven't seen in some time being used to greet their special creek spots! Creative writing in nature is one of the best ways to regulate and decompress after a long day, and the Cardinals took full advantage of this opportunity.
Maple Mural Reflections
(Learning Links: Storytelling & Literacy)
The Bluebirds and Cardinals are still basking in the glow of a successful Maple Fest. It was an absolute pleasure inviting you all to see their incredible mural. A remarkable amount of effort, thoughtfulness, and growth went into the creation of the mural, leaving many kids feeling proud of what they accomplished. This past week, we asked students to reflect on what the most meaningful, and the most challenging parts of the project were for them. They took the charge seriously and many children wrote furiously beyond the number of sentences required. The responses they recorded in their journals will be shared with you all in their end-of-year portfolios. We can’t wait for you to read their honest, thoughtful writing!
Additionally, we reflected on how many different learning links were touched through creating this collaborative mural. Through small group discussion and whole group share outs, the Bluebirds and Cardinals were able to assemble quite a comprehensive list of how we used each learning link for our mural. Just take a look at the photo of our list. And, that truly only scratches the surface! For their final reflection writing assignment, students were asked to choose one of the learning links we discussed as a group and write about their specific experience. For example, if they chose “researching maple tree facts” as one of the Science & Stewardship learning links, they could write about what they specifically researched and what that process was like for them. It was a lot of work, and these mighty scholars really flexed their writing and reflection muscles to close out our Maple Mural project in a meaningful way.
Kid-Generated List of Learning Links Used For the Maple Mural Project
Calves in the Classroom
(Learning Links: Science & Stewardship, People & Places, Identity & Community)
This spring, the Carriage House has the unique opportunity to participate in an exciting agricultural education program called “Calves in the Classroom"! Last month we met Cassie, an educator with the Dutchess County Agricultural Society. She came in to introduce us (virtually) to the Lawrence family, a local family that runs Stormfield Swiss Farm. Stormfield Swiss Farm is a dairy farm that houses around 80 cows and is a partner with Hudson Valley Fresh (we know you have all seen their products at your local grocery store, and hopefully you have tried their chocolate milk…it's the BEST!) Cassie also introduced us to Sweet Treat, our “class calf” for the remainder of the school year! Through video we learned that Sweet Treat was born December 9th, 2025 and is a Brown Swiss calf. We were told about her parents, what she eats, how much she weighs and also learned a bit about the farm and the Lawrence family themselves. Before Cassie left, Carriage House kiddos had the opportunity to ask questions they had about Sweet Treat or the farm. Cassie compiled the questions and sent them along to the Lawrence family. We have already received our first and second responses to questions along with an updated video about Sweet Treat. We will continue to communicate back and forth and watch as Sweet Treat continues to grow from now until the end of the school year. We will culminate this project by going to meet our class calf in person with a trip to Stormfield Swiss Farm! (We are all super excited about that!) For now, we will continue to enjoy the video and photo updates. Here is a picture of Sweet Treat, for you to enjoy the cuteness as well!
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