This Week at Spindlewood

This week we began sewing our watercolor paintings into pockets to hold our beeswax crayon drawings. When there are 10 drawings, we ...will make a book to take home.

During Imaginative Play one morning, the children set up and enacted two plays. In one, the sunbeam fairy woke up Mother Earth who watered her garden, and a girl came along to pick flowers, while a bunny searched for an autumn meal. Then, a rascal gnome guided a donkey back to the girl & boy who had lost it.

The children also constructed a four-room house from play stands and cloths. I overheard their discussions of which room was to be the bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living room, and what about a hallway?!


Also in the course of play, a “neighbor” was given a cup of tea to warm up from a cold morning, and knights with their steady steads toured the land, so that all will be well.


In the garden, we harvested golden corn with Miss Susan and cooked it up to eat with our golden grain. The sheep now wait for us by the pasture gate, expecting their apple delivery. And we collected two eggs from the hens that we raised as from chicks last spring.

We brought nets from the barn and caught frogs large and small, releasing them into a large bucket with water filled from small pails. where they “happily” float until it was time to go back into the pond.


Blinken was well cared for on our woods walk. He was tucked under his blanket, brought food, and had his house tidied up, while some children climbed small trees and balanced along a big fallen one.
In the afternoon, during lunch, we have shared stories about sleep & dreams, our rooms, and our pet's names. The adventures of Tiptoes & Jeremy Mouse are recalled from the previous day, and the next chapter read before settling down to a rest.


Yours Truly,
“Miss” Elisa

Welcome to Spindlewood

Welcome!

You are here!

The Spindlewood campus includes the red school building, the play area and shed, as well as two acres including the outhouse, situated in the Silverio homestead. Matthew and his Dad, John Silverio, architect, work in the studio near the parking area.

Parking

Please drive all around the turn around and park facing down the road. This will assure that the lawn is kept free of vehicles and you will not need to back up at departure time while children may be walking in the driveway. The parking space nearest the studio is reserved for studio visitors. Thank you!

Car Seats

If you need to leave a car seat for the person who will be picking up your child later in the day, you may leave it on the bench inside the barn.

Comings and Goings

The Silverios are delighted to welcome the families of Spindlewood. They invite you to follow the gravel path past the studio to the kindergarten. In the barn and pasture are two sheep, Buttercup and Daisy. They can be very loud when there is the prospect of an extra snack, and would be happy if you would toss them a dropped apple. You might sight two fluffy barn cats, Coco and Peaches. There are also three hens that the children helped to raise last spring. Sometimes they free range. Children are welcome to swing on the “twisty swing” on the maple tree in front of the barn. (Only four at a time, please.)

Visitors please take care

You are welcome to visit the barnyard at drop-off and pick-up time,  but please closely supervise children at all times. Please do not feed the chickens or sheep from the hay bale or the grain barrels. Children may not enter the sheep corral or pasture and must not walk on the stone walls. Children may not climb trees at pick-up time, due to numerous distractions at that time. Parents are asked to please refrain from standing in the parking area for conversation. It is a town road with occasional cars and we all need to be careful. Thank you for setting an example for the children!                                               

Slippers, boots, extra clothes and bedding

At pick-up time, please check your child’s hook to see if there is a plastic bag of wet clothing that needs to be brought home that day. Also, please check to be sure that your child has a complete change of clothing (underwear, socks, pants, shirt, and sweater or sweatshirt), as well as a pair of slip-on inside shoes to be kept at school. There is a net bag hanging on your child’s hook to store the extra clothes. Marking your child’s name (or symbol) on the inside label of any removable item of clothing with a permanent marker is of great assistance and would be much appreciated.

The Flow of the Day

During the first few weeks of school, the rhythm of the day and the week are established. It is this rhythm that gives children a sense of security and allows them to feel confident in their new surroundings. Strong, familiar rhythms allow the child to move freely from one activity to the next and ease transitions. If your child is feeling uncertain or anxious about what to expect in the kindergarten, it can be helpful to “walk through” the morning ahead of time, perhaps in story form, using the outline of the flow of the day. It can also be beneficial to review the day at bedtime, and ending with a song, verse or prayer. Some parents have reported that lighting a candle at bedtime, rather than using tapes or TV has transformed the experience of bedtime at their house.

Food

Although we still call it “snack” a hearty mid-morning meal will be prepared each morning and served around 10:30. For those who are staying for the afternoon, we will prepare a simple lunch. Each family is asked to bring an assigned item of food each week.

Let’s stay in touch!

Please check the basket to the right of the door in the kindergarten mudroom each morning where you will find my letters to you. On the shelf below you will find a small notepad and pen for leaving notes for me. Notes are necessary if, for instance, someone else will be picking up your child at noon, or if you would like me to call you later in the day. I welcome your phone calls and can be reached at 992-7312. If there is a day your child will be absent, please phone me before 8:30. Your child will be missed. This is also a good time to arrange for a conversation later in the day. If there are special circumstances or changes at home that may affect your child, please let me know so that I may be aware and assist your child in any way possible.  I can also be contacted at elisaolds@gmail.com.  I usually check my email each evening.                                       

Looking forward to a wonderful year together!

With love,

Elisa