Summer at New Amsterdam
As the weather grows increasingly warm and the grasses grows tall, we find ourselves drawn continuously further out, falling slowly into a dream-like relationship with the world of nature. Our sense of time becomes temporarily suspended and we pause to reflect, finding a moment of quiet in between breaths, until it is time once again to realize that the wheel of life is still circling and the season turning again towards fall.
The children experience this mood of summer deeply. Rhythms of school and home begin to shift. Days lengthen and the sun seems to linger a bit each evening in the sky to enjoy just a few more moments before bedtime. The element of water comes into play with jubilant splashing in fountains, pools, ponds, and ocean mist. Magnificent castles are built in the sand and then slide away again with the incoming tide. And who can forget that summer brings such delights as flavored Ice cream and the most wonderful variety of fresh fruits and berries?
The children who have joined us at New Amsterdam this summer have been enjoying picnics at the garden, and plenty of time for romping amidst leafy trees and bushes, chasing bubbles and imaginary dragons, and giving one another horsey rides with our play reigns. On many days we walk to the far side of the garden for a visit to the baby chicks who only a few weeks ago were so small and fuzzy, but who now are growing tall and showing off colorful new adult feathers. On our first day in the summer garden, we laid out our blanket in the shade of the mulberry tree and quickly discovered that the ripe, red berries were raining right down onto our plates! On another occasion, one of the children looked up into the tree and excitedly pointed to a nearby woodpecker, displaying his jaunty red, white and black feathers and tapping here and there at the bark for something good to eat.
Over by the pond, turtles laze about in the sun and on days when the hose is on, bringing fresh water down to the pond along a rocky creek bed, the children make leaf boats and float them downstream, laughing as the tiny vessels wind their way around the rocks.
While our school community is dispersed in these summer months, traveling and spending time with friends and family, we stay connected in our thoughts and hearts. In not too long we will reunite joyfully with friends and teachers and admire all the growth and change that has taken place during the bright days of summer.
Happy thoughts and safe travels, until we meet again!
