“Of winter’s lifeless world each tree
Now seems a perfect part;
Yet each one holds summer’s secret
Deep down within its heart.”
–  Charles G. Stater

We have returned from holiday break and although the weather has been cold, we have been enjoying all that winter has to offer!

We even went on a field trip to the North Carolina Arboretum to see the Lego sculptures!

Lighting a candle:

Deep in the ground of the human soul, 

Of victory assured,

The Spirit-Sun is living.

All through the winter of the inner life

The faithful heart divines it.

-Steiner

December has been a busy month at Grow With Me and we have been celebrating all that the season has to offer.

A chill was in the air for our forest day at Shoppe Creek, but a warm campfire warmed our hands and spirits!

Inside the classroom children have been happily making seasonal crafts like colorful lanterns made from mason jars!

We also had a special Winter Soltice celebration at our school. Past and present families were all invited to participate in our solstice spiral and enjoy the warmth and light of friendship on the darkest day of the year.

“The best and most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even hear, but must be felt with the heart” Helen Keller

November reminds us to be thankful for all that we have, and at Grow With Me we have lots to be grateful for! At the beginning of the month, Grow With Me had our semi-annual volunteer day. Children and families worked together to build new cubbies for the classroom and even constructed new stairs and a bridge for our outdoor play area! 

Inside the classroom children have been learning the concept of gratitude and sharing stories about things they are grateful for in their own lives.

 We have been busy cooking lots of warm and hearty snacks as the cold weather sets in! We have also had lots of little hands making crafts like turkey centerpieces made from natural materials! 

“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” 
― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

Autumn has settled in and we here at Grow With Me have been enjoying all that the season has to offer!

We enjoyed another forest day at Shope Creek where the kids observed the crisper air, brightly colored leaves and the changing of the seasons.

We have been enjoying all that autumn has to offer inside the classroom too! We have been incorporating local, seasonal ingredients into our snacks. The kids have enjoyed making pumpkin muffins and seasonal vegetable soup! 

On Halloween the Grow With Me families went on a special field trip to Hickory Nut Gap Farm. We sampled different varieties of apples, played on swings, slides and haystacks, and got to meet some special farm animals- each kid even got a chance to hold a baby chick! After a picnic lunch we went through the corn maze and played it the creek. It certainly was a Halloween to remember!

“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.”― Aristotle

As the cooler air settles in a new school year has returned to Grow With Me. We are starting off strong this year with full enrollment for the 2013-2014 school year, but if you are interested in signing up for the wait list, or joining our mailing list to learn more about the program, please feel free to contact us!

As we return for the 2013-2014 school year, we have been spending lots of time outside in the beautiful weather! We have been busy planting our fall vegetable garden. Once the vegetables are fully grown we will harvest them to use in our snacks!

This month we also held our first forest day at Shope Creek. Once a month, we hold school in the forest  to spend the day hiking, listening to nature, and observing the changing seasons.

We are all looking forward to what this school year will bring!

Last week our kiddos finished making masks for their performance of the Russian folktale “The Little Red Hen.” Too cute! After the masks were finished, they decided to spend the morning using classroom items to build themselves a barnyard and act out their roles. It was sweet to watch them so engaged with each other in imaginary play.

This is the last week of class this year for our little east Asheville preschool. We will end the year in grand style tomorrow with a day of water play, a potluck lunch with parents and a ceremony recognizing the children who are graduating from the program and moving on to kindergarten. Look for photos of the festivities!

Spring has finally arrived for real and our Grow With Me family is taking full advantage of the lovely weather. A couple of weeks ago, the children began planting seeds for their spring garden and today everyone pitched in to dig up some fresh earth for the planned bean and pea teepees which will grace our lower play area.

During indoor time, Ms. Katy has been helping the students make kites out of paper and wood and everyone has tried their hand at finger painting with soft spring colors.

Our next Open House is scheduled for 10:30-11:30 a.m. April 27. Bring your little ones to get a taste of what a day in our classroom is like, enjoy some fun stories and activities and share some healthy snacks. Please contact us to RSVP.