Joyful Beginnings Hummingbirds: November 10-14, 2025
Dear Joyful Beginnings Hummingbirds Families,
We are looking forward to seeing all of our Hummingbirds and their families at our Thanksgiving Luncheon this Friday from 11:00 - 12:00 pm. If you are able to attend, the Grades program will have a musical presentation in the church’s sanctuary at 10:30. On the day of the Luncheon, please bring a meal for you and your child to share and a picnic blanket. All children and families are welcome to attend, including children who only attend school Monday through Wednesday.
Last week brought us a beautiful mix of temperatures, inviting the children to listen to their bodies and adjust their play accordingly. During the colder stretch early in the week, they instinctively moved toward large, warming work such as raking and hauling. Together with their teachers, the Hummingbirds completed our big fall work project: clearing the hillside on the far end of the Hummingbird Nest. At the start of the school year, this area was covered in thick vines and brush. With joyful determination, the children helped remove small brush, carried sticks, and used the large dump trucks to haul rocks. They were especially captivated by the teachers’ use of a small handsaw to cut through the thick kudzu vines, quickly calling out, “This one is too big! We’ll need the saw!” whenever they encountered a stubborn tangle.
When the task was complete, they took time to admire their finished product and new, expanded classroom space. And then, quite naturally, the decorating began. In harmony with this time of year, when humans so often turn inward toward warmth, closeness, and festivity, the children adorned our outdoor classroom and found impressive ways to hang pots, pans, brooms, and an assortment of carefully chosen treasures in their stick shelter. By the end, their creation resembled a child-made living art installation. (see photo below)
Indoors, the children were introduced to our new story about a young boy and his grandmother searching for an apple to roast over the fire on a chilly autumn day. The boy first looks to the apple tree, certain he will find a bright red apple waiting, but is surprised to find none at all. On his journey back home, he asks several forest friends if they know where the apples have gone, but none can help. At last, he meets a small squirrel, who tells him that the farmer gathers the apples and stores them safely for winter. The squirrel knows this well, as he too collects and tucks away his food ahead of the cold months. In the farmer’s barn, the boy marvels at the barrels of stored summer goodness (apples, pumpkins, squash) and the farmer explains that he keeps them there after the harvest to protect them from Jack Frost’s pinching fingers. Together, they feel gratitude for the earth’s abundance and dream of the warm apple and pumpkin pies to come at Thanksgiving. When the boy returns to his grandmother, she ties a string around the apple, hangs it over the hearth, and together they watch as it slowly softens and sizzles. With two spoons, they share the roasted apple.
This story has immediately captured the children’s attention and affection. It is always a wonder to observe which stories truly “feed” a group of children; often, we cannot say why a particular tale meets them so deeply, only that it comes alive for them when told with intention, presence, and warmth. Next week, the children will have the opportunity to roast their own apples in the forest, an experience we are very much looking forward to sharing together.
Announcements & Reminders:
Transitioning to Kindergarten or First Grade? Tour Our Programs!
Wednesday, December 10th at 9:30 AM
We are excited to offer a tour of both our Kindergarten and Grades programs on Wednesday, December 10th at 9:30 am and Saturday, December 13th, at 10:00 am. While all parents are warmly welcome to attend, this tour is especially designed for families whose children will be rising up to the next stage of their education—whether transitioning from Joyful Beginnings into Kindergarten or from Kindergarten into First Grade.
This is a wonderful opportunity to learn more about what awaits your child as they take their next developmental step at The Garden School.
Please RSVP by emailing Crystal at admissions@thegardenmarietta.org to reserve your spot.
November 19: Please RSVP to Ki Alycia by tomorrow, November 19th, via email with the names of the guests attending
November 21: Grades Presentation in Sanctuary at 10:30 am
November 21: Thanksgiving Luncheon at 11 am (All families and students are invited)
November 24 - 28: Thanksgiving Break (No School)
Warmly,
Ki Alycia
