September Newsletter

September 2009

Dear Parents,

Our school year has gotten off to a fabulous beginning with the continual benevolence of the shining sun and beautiful blue sky. We have not had a single rainy day since we started. Not that we’re opposed to rain, mind you. When it comes, you can be sure we’ll be right out in it ~ and singing too! But we do appreciate the ease and simplicity of the past lovely month.
It is quite a wonderful experience to witness the growth of the children as they learn to follow new rules and make various social adjustments in effort to harmonize with the ins and outs of Preschool Time at Ebenezer Farm. They grasp it all so quickly! Even when they decide to test a particular boundary - it’s clear that they are just testing; checking to see if the boundary is firm or flimsy. Once the determination is made, the boundaries are generally accepted and respected.

School Age Program

All of the children love to roam the fields and forests, from first thing in the morning to last thing in the late afternoon. Mr. Shaw is happy to accommodate them since it is a perfect way to start the day before heading off to school. After school, children need to burn off a lot of steam that has built up from a day of keeping it all under control. We also require a certain degree of self control, but fortunately we are able to allow them to run and shout and have some freedom to choose highly energetic activities. Being in the woods and working on creating villages of forts, working with Mr.Shaw in taking care of animals, gardens or firewood draws the children outward with no pushing or prodding from adults. We know they are clearing their heads, while getting dirty! Mrs. Hook and Ms. Lianne are getting their exercise too, running back and forth checking on older children who are able to go out of sight, and with keeping younger ones engaged in healthy activities!
Monitoring disputes and “counseling” is a continuous effort that we’re never quite finished with. If your child has a problem that you are concerned about, be sure to talk with us. Be assured that we do not brush any issues aside. Conflict amongst this wide group of children is inevitable, and just when we think that two of them will be lifelong enemies, they’re off working on a new project together. Many children become the best of friends after coming head to head on major topics. Of course, some don’t, but they learn to tolerate each other, politely...?!

Preschool Program

"Just A Glimpse of Our Farm School"…. The first in a series.
At the beginning of our day, Mrs. Shaw and Mrs. Bergeron divide the children into groups. Mrs.Bergeron will oversee free play, with options for running, jumping or ball games. Mrs. Shaw takes along a few helpers to do some chores, bringing the chickens some treats of the previous day’s dry food scraps, saying good morning to the goats, scooping up duck and rabbit food for their breakfasts. When we return to the playground, all the children know that it’s time for our morning hike when they hear the singing begin.
“Follow me, follow me, come with me my children to see what we can see.
Peek under rocks, gaze into the sky, oh what wonders are there to meet our eyes.
Follow me, follow me, come with me my children to see what we can see.”
As we travel over the “Grumpy Old Troll’s” Bridge, we begin to sing to our ducks, alerting them that we are on our way. To the tune of “Do Re Mi” (Do, a deer, a female deer…) we sing a simple “la, la, la,la,la, la, la…” This is the song that the ducks were trained to follow, when , as little ducklings they were led out to the pond in the mornings and back into their cages every evening. Upon hearing the familiar melody, the ducks do not fail to thrill us with their cheerful response of “quack, quack quack quack”. After a full round of La la la, we break into the original verses of “Do Re Mi“, so that we know the true song as well as “The Duck Song“. This brings us right up to the edge of the pond, where everyone finds a comfy spot on the ground to welcome the ducks up onto the banking. Children delightedly dig their little hands into the grain bucket to offer morning breakfast to our eager feathered friends. Then handfuls of grain are tossed out into the pond, as it is even more fun to see the ducks tipping bottoms up and heads deep to scavenge on the pond floor. Once the ducks have had their fill, they paddle away leaving a clearing for the catfish to swim in closely to nibble up the remains. We crawl close to the edge to get a better view of their wiggling bodies.
Taking advantage of the fact that we are all in the same place at the same time we’ll take time to sing a few more songs. We work on our alphabet song, learning the sign language for the letters. So far we’ve done
“A” - Apples are absolutely appealing.
“B” Big blueberries by the bridge.
“C” Cool crisp carrots are fun to crunch.
Because children learn much more deeply when they have real experiences, rather than just hearing about subjects, we make every effort to connect our alphabet songs to things they know. Big blueberries do really grow by the “Grumpy Old Troll” bridge, and though the berries are out of season now, the bushes are still there to see. We eat slices of apples and each give our opinions of whether or not they truly are appealing. And the cool crisp carrots, freshly pulled from Mr. Shaw’s garden actually do CRRRUNCH!
After the round of singing, some choose to linger and watch the ducks, fish and rippling water and others are off to swing in the hammock or climb on the leaning tree. When they hear the “Follow me” song again, they run to gather on the trail so that we can be on our way through the forest to Lightning Rock, which is currently our favorite snack location. You’ll have to wait for November’s newsletter where we will pick up on the trail to Lightning Rock in our next
“Just a Glimpse of Our Farm School”, series.
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Thank you so much for the exceptional consideration that many of you shared by keeping ill children home over this past month - it was an early start to these illnesses - and hopefully, thanks to your efforts, an early ending.

Inspiring Books for Adults
Last Child in the Woods -Saving our children from nature deficit disorder - Richard Louv
The Power of Play - How spontaneous, imaginative activities lead to happier,healthier children - David Elkind, Ph.D

Reminders:• Send your child prepared for sudden drops in temperature. Already, mittens, hats and extra layers supplied in their backpacks are needed.
• It’s not too early to be looking for winter clothing needs. Don’t waste your money on cheap thinly insulated snow gear - they will not keep your child warm or dry enough to be comfortable throughout our outdoor mornings, and we certainly don’t want any children to be miserable.
• Second-hand stores often have quality items that still have a lot good use left in them. Right here in New Ipswich is Consign of the Times, then there is Downtown Revival in Peterborough, which also has a terrific and convenient wish list program; you let them know the details of your needs and they will let you know when items fitting your requests come in. Also, Mother and Child on Rte 101 in Merrimack and Hannah’s Closet on Rte 12 in Swanzey to name another couple of nice ones. Ebay, Craig’s list and Freecycle are options to investigate. We are happy to host a winter clothing swap if people are interested.
• All children must have a full back-up supply of warm clothing in their backpacks or cubbies, as well as some type of weather appropriate farm boots.
• The school-age children are "STARVING" when they get off the bus. A week's supply may be left with us to pass out, or it can be brought daily by your child. Be aware that they usually cannot manage to save it until the get to the Farm.
• Anytime you would like to discuss your child and/or our program please let us know, so that we can set a time for it. You can see how drop-off and pick-up times are not conducive to complete conversations.

September Preschool Stories

Goldilocks and The Three Bears, The Tale of Tom Kitten
The Three Little Pigs, The Tale of Peter Rabbit
The Frog Prince, The Tale of Jemima Puddleduck
The Three Billy Goats Gruff, The Tale of Mrs. Tiggywinkle
And, several chapters of The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

Many times you will see or hear that the children will be told the same stories over again. The reason for this, as you surely have noticed in your homes, is that they love to hear them over and over! The characters in the stories become beloved old friends. Children love repetition. They eagerly anticipate the arrival of the Big Bad Wolf coming to knock upon each of the Pig’s doors; their faces just light up with excitement as they wait to hear and then join in with me as I demand “Little pig, little pig, let me in!” It’s the same way for the songs and circle games we play. Even when we are not actually involved in our organized circle time, various children will create mini circles on their own to sing the songs together with no adult influence. There is a comforting security in the routine and orderliness whether in school, at home or in play.
I regularly tell stories without the use of books - the children use their imaginations to picture what I‘m reciting. When books are read, they are classic versions, no Disney revisions. Children enjoy quality books, expressive and full of rich language - this is the most wonderful way to encourage the development of their own language skills, which in turn, provides a vital tool to be used for the rest of their lives.

And here’s the winner for this month’s charming anecdote.
The children were out in the woods sitting on fallen tree trunk, waiting for the story to begin. One child confidently announced to no one in particular, “God made me!” Mrs. Bergeron and I smiled and acknowledged his announcement and then he earnestly looked at the boy next to him and asked, “Who made you?”

Celebration of Autumn!
Join us on Sunday, October 18th from 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm for an Autumn Celebration.
Tour trails led by your own personal trail guide, see the Duck Pond, have a snack on Lightning Rock & enjoy the Ebenezer Farm Children Folk Singers. Bring your family and friends! Let us know if you are able to bring a fall dessert or cider to share. Please note, all children attending must remain with an adult throughout the Celebration.

Food for thought...
All over America, and many other places in the world, children today are pushed and pressured to mature, intellectually, emotionally and physically. They are being robbed of the precious and necessary nurturing time that can only be found in childhood.
The following is an excerpt from The Power of Play, by David Elkind Ph.D, copyright 2007:
“Children’s play--their inborn disposition for curiosity, imagination, and fantasy--is being silenced in the high-tech, commercialized world we have created. Toys, about which children once spun elaborate personal fables, now engender little more than habits of passive consumerism….
“Parents, anxious for their children to succeed in an increasingly competitive global economy, regard play as a luxury that the contemporary child cannot afford.
The health consequences for children resulting from the disappearance of play are already apparent…
“The surgeon general suggests that two-thirds of the children in this country suffer at least one health problem. Thirteen percent of our children are obese. We have more than 2 million children on Ritalin and other ADHD medications…
“The psychological consequences of the failure to engage in spontaneous, self-initiated play are equally serious and equally worrisome. Because children are spending so much time in front of television, as well as other screens, there is little time for exercising their predispositions for fantasy, imagination, and creativity--the mental tools required for success in higher-level math and science.
The failure to develop these tools is, in part at least, one of the reasons America is falling behind other countries in attracting young people into these fields…
“Our schools are now contributing to the suppression of curiosity, imagination, and fantasy.
Growing numbers of elementary schools are eliminating recess in favor of more time for academics.
--And
“Children are now regarded as consumers, a niche population to be targeted directly without concern for parental approval of the advertised product. High-fat, high-sodium foods, sugary soft drinks, disposable fad toys and much more, are marketed directly to children.
“The programming at family hours is increasingly foul-mouthed, overtly sexual, and/or violent.
Many computer games for children are equally inappropriate. Clearly some adults are putting the profit motive ahead of children’s needs.
“All too often children’s need for play is exploited and redirected to serve commercial ends. All too often children’s spontaneous active play has been transformed into passive audience participation.
“…silencing children’s play is as harmful to healthy development (if not more so) as hurrying them to grow up too fast too soon.
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We encourage you to learn more about these dangerous threats to the well-being of our children.
As their parents and caregivers, we have a responsibility to protect them from harmful influences.
Recall your own childhood - did you sit indoors and look at a screen for hours? Did you have piles of throw away toys that flashed and beeped and were as cold as ice. Or, were you out with friends, under the lilac bush, out in the field or up in the trees, creating a world of fantasy, where all sense of time was lost, until you were called for dinner. Did you curl up comfortably and read books that took you away to faraway places? These simple activities are not lost, but they will require effort to be held on to.
On behalf of the staff of Ebenezer Farm, we would like to thank you sincerely, for allowing us to share time with your children each week. Every single child brings incredible gifts of joy and warmth to our lives.

Savor this wonder-filled season!
Grace and Caleb Shaw

I have so much to catch up on, but for the time being, I'm hoping that it is true that a picture is worth a thousand words! The last several posts are lots of pictures.

~*Grace