Kindergarten Honeybees: December 1-5, 2025
Dear Honeybee Families,
It was such a joy to welcome our Honeybees back after our week-long break. While we were away, the trees seemed to have let go of most of their leaves. The forest felt more open, its branches bare, and the ground soft and cushiony beneath a blanket of fallen leaves. We introduced a new autumn circle, and the children have begun learning an autumn song in German. Slowly, they are joining in, humming along during play and singing pieces of the songs as we go about through our daily activities.
We enjoyed our first fire of the season. The students helped carry water from the creek to fill a large bucket, and together we revisited our fire-safety practices. With care and attentiveness, the children kept within the boundaries and followed all our guidelines beautifully. We filled a large pot with the walnut husks gathered from our forest floor to prepare a natural dye bath. The pot rested over the fire as we watched our plain tea towels slowly transform into a warm, honey-brown color, holding within them the sun, wind, rain, and earth. In the coming days, we will embroider each one, and the children will use them during our shared snack. It is truly remarkable to experience how the gifts of our forest can create something so beautiful, nurturing in us a sense of gratitude and stewardship.
Tomorrow we will gather for our Winter Spiral, a cherished festival that takes place near the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. In this quiet and reverent ceremony, each child will walk the spiral carrying an unlit candle. When they arrive at the center, they will light their candle from the central flame and then slowly make their way back out, placing their candle upon a star along the path. This gentle ritual symbolizes each child bringing their own unique light into the world, helping to guide and warm others during the darker days of winter. Families are warmly invited to join us and witness the children’s walk. We will begin promptly at 10:00 a.m.; please arrive early as the room will be dim and very still. Entering after we begin may cause disruption, so we kindly ask that everyone be settled before the walk starts.
It is hard to believe that we are already approaching the final week of the semester. Next week will be filled with joy, and each day will bring a special seasonal activity or treat for the children to look forward to.
Monday- Pomanders with oranges & cloves
Tuesday- S’mores over the fire (weather permitting)
Wednesday- bring a stuffed animal from home
Thursday- bring a book from home
Friday- hot cocoa & music by the fire
Announcements & Reminders:
Our Admissions Team will be holding tours designed to address community questions regarding the phases of child development and our Waldorf-inspired curriculum. A combined Kindergarten tour and a Grades tour will be offered on:
Wednesday, December 10th, at 9:30 am
Saturday, December 13th, at 10:00 am
Wednesday, January 7th, at 9:30 am
These tours are for our current families to learn more about the respective programs. Please RSVP by emailing Crystal: admissions@thegardenmarietta.org.
December 19: Last Day of Fall Semester-Grades Assembly at 11:00 am, all families welcomed (Half Day)
December 22-January 2: Winter Break (No School)
January 5: Teacher-In-Service (No School)
January 6: First Day of Spring Semester
Thank you for all that you do.
Peace be upon you,
Ki Fatima
