Sweet August

8/18/2025

"The scent of August's bright sunlit skies, nature’s warm colors, and the smell of seasons are about to change. The hint of new beginnings, knowing something wonderful is around the bend"
~Alexandra Hall

It's been such a sweet few weeks of August! We have a gentle flow these first days of the new year as we get to meet new friends and know old friends better.

Here are a few pics of us loving these last days of Summer!

Art Projects

We loved creating these still life paintings of jewelweed bouquets with watercolor pencils.

It's Circle Time!

We love playing the name game at the beginning of a new year where we roll the ball to a friend while calling out their name.

Cooperative Games

Snack with Social/Emotional Learning
Schubert's Big Voice, (or Sophie for a simpler read) is one of our favorite books to read at the beginning of a new year and really helps with empowering children in conflict resolution. Check out these great videos of them being read out loud:

Schubert's Big Voice: youtu.be/9vg_1Is_MdE?si=g8YYP9_-E3XYw1nd
Sophie's Big Voice: youtu.be/K5ZBgGn3w_k?si=etk2MU3p8S5ys8D2

Science (or Magic!)

The Science of Spinning

So fun to explore momentum, gravity, and friction with these fast spinning tops!

Cooking Class
We loved making these delicious Cinnamon Pear Muffins with fresh pears form our sweet Pear Tree!

Cinnamon Pear Muffins

Ingredients

2 ½ cups almond flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 tbsp honey
3 eggs
2 tbsp melted coconut oil
1 cup chopped pears

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, add all of the ingredients except for the pears. Whisk until everything is evenly combined.
Add the pears and use a wooden spoon to fold them in.
Grease a muffin pan with coconut oil (or line the pan with muffin cups), and spoon the batter into the pan, filling each muffin cup about 3/4 of the way to the top.
Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. The muffins are done when they are slightly golden brown on top and you can stick a knife in the center and it come out clean.
Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes before removing them from the pan. After removing them from the pan, let cool on a wire rack before serving.

The hummingbirds helped measure and mix the ingredients...

While the songbirds chopped pears, cracked eggs, and whisked while they counted together to 20.

Pear Butter
So easy to make Pear Butter! We covered our pears with apple juice and a splash of lemon juice, then boiled until soft and pureed until smooth. Yum!

The kids had great form when chopping with keeping both hands on the handle!

Math & Literacy
Geometry! Creating shapes of different numbered sides with natural objects.

Developing number recognition and fine-motor skills through throwing dice and hole-punching leaves

Tracing the letters of our names

Storytelling

Teacher Bluma is a master storyteller! This month she shared a story of a great magical sturgeon to honor the Sturgeon Moon. Her daughter Sophia has also been coming in an extra support teacher, so great to have a Mother/Daughter teaching team!

August Herb

Our Herb of the Month was Jewelweed! We talked about its wonderful uses, and the kids got to identify, pick, and create poultices to heal any itchy bug bites.