The crackle of the campfires, returned this week, along with  the sound of wind and that particular shuffle of snow gear. All of these sounds tell us we are approaching  the winter season. After the Holiday break, we continue our deep listening work with songs, movement, dance and laughter. This week we revisit the Wassail, an Old Norse word for "good health". It involves a song, as well as a dance with scarves and sticks to honor and celebrate our Maple trees, which are a vital part of our community at Randolph. We are also singing a llulaby to the trees as well as a song that bids them good night, hoping that they rest well and return with bounty in the late winter/early spring.

Although the Thanksgiving break may have felt like it flew by, we returned to an outdoor environment decidedly different from the one we left just over a week ago. Reflecting upon the wet and wintery mix that threatened (unsuccessfully) to dampen our Harvest Feast spirits, we began this week by noting the significant increase in precipitation after an unusually dry fall and the dramatic decrease in air temperature and sunlight in recent days. Gathering at the “BEAM-to” laboratory, the Links-focused lean-to on the backfield, we looked with an ecological lens towards the creek habitat and wondered how these major environmental changes might have affected the plants and animals in the landscape. Each group has been doing their own investigation about the creatures that inspire their namesake (ducks, honeybees, woodpeckers etc.) respond to the onset of winter and can contribute important information to the conversation.