nature Archives • Raintree Montessori

Spring Has Arrived!
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Spring Has Arrived!

Early Childhood, Raintree

Spring Has Arrived!

Heather2023-06-10T15:50:43-05:00March 26th, 2023|Categories: Early Childhood, Raintree|Tags: Montessori, nature|

Spring has arrived! As we look outside we see sprouting bits of green and blooms beginning to form. It is a time for new beginnings. As we transition from snow boots and gloves to rain boots and umbrellas, the children are bursting for outdoor adventures. The South classroom children have spent this past week cleaning and prepping the outdoor space, splashing in rain puddles, petting the goats and soaking up each and every ray of sunshine. Immersing ones-self into nature is an integral part of [...]

Animals of Raintree
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Animals of Raintree

Early Childhood, Raintree

Animals of Raintree

Heather2023-06-10T16:42:44-05:00January 26th, 2023|Categories: Early Childhood, Raintree|Tags: animals, community, independence, nature, responsibility|

The longer I work at Raintree, the more I wonder about the stories that collect around these fourteen acres of land. The tales that are told with the most joy and humor are those of the animals. Some are woven into the Raintree quilt, the earliest threads of the school story. Some are retold at staff gatherings or parent/teacher conferences. All are cherished memories that remind us of our responsibility to the small and delicate life around us. The chickens are visited daily by children, [...]

The Child’s Inherent Love of Nature
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The Child’s Inherent Love of Nature

Parenting

The Child’s Inherent Love of Nature

Heather2022-05-15T20:17:59-05:00May 15th, 2021|Categories: Parenting|Tags: nature, parenting|

by Maren Stark Schmidt What do you do to find yourself when you are out of sorts? Frustrated? Sorrowful? Despairing? If you are like most people, you try to find a quiet spot to commune with nature and seek peace or solace. Solace, a word from the Latin sol for ''sun,'' meaning ''to find the sun.'' We have to be close to nature to find the sun, and in the process we find ourselves. This connection to peace is formed within each of us as [...]

Inspired by Greta Thunberg, Raintree student leads weekly protest about climate change
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Inspired by Greta Thunberg, Raintree student leads weekly protest about climate change

Montessori, Raintree, Uncategorized

Inspired by Greta Thunberg, Raintree student leads weekly protest about climate change

Heather2020-12-29T13:50:59-06:00October 30th, 2020|Categories: Montessori, Raintree, Uncategorized|Tags: community, education, grit, independence, nature|

By Lauren Fox, Lawrence Journal World, October 30, 2020 For over a year, 10-year-old Dylan Tenbrink has been standing outside Raintree Montessori School on Friday mornings, protesting about climate change with her sign, “Our planet, our future.” Dylan, a fifth grader, became inspired to speak out about the climate after watching a short video about Greta Thunberg, the 17-year-old Swedish climate activist. “She had a really strong voice and she was able to be heard,” Dylan said of Thunberg. “She had strong feelings about the [...]

How the Outdoors Makes Your Kids Smarter
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How the Outdoors Makes Your Kids Smarter

Parenting, Raintree

How the Outdoors Makes Your Kids Smarter

Heather2019-12-05T16:42:05-06:00December 5th, 2019|Categories: Parenting, Raintree|Tags: brain development, nature|

The freedom to move and play outside inspires creativity and improves brain function By Katie Arnold When I was eight years old, I spent an hour every autumn day after school shooting baskets in our driveway in New Jersey. I was small for my age, had little talent for the sport, and didn’t love it all that much; what I loved were the stories I made up in my head as I practiced my layups alone. I loved how my mind was free to wander [...]