Joyful Beginnings Hummingbirds: February 23-27, 2026
Dear Joyful Beginnings Hummingbirds Families,
Though winter offered one last farewell with chilly temperatures at the start of the week, the children took little notice and returned to school brimming with springtime energy. Their play was lively and joyful as they stepped effortlessly back into the comforting rhythm of our beloved school day.
Over the break, several children made noticeable developmental leaps. It has been especially tender to overhear them observing one another’s growth: “Wow, my friend talks so much more!” or “My friend doesn’t wear diapers anymore.” Their delight in each other’s milestones is a beautiful testament to their growing awareness and deepening social consciousness.
In our artistic work, the children giggled when discovering hidden mushrooms blooming in their watercolor paintings. Beneath the washes of color, a mushroom shape (previously drawn in beeswax crayon by teachers) slowly revealed itself, as if by magic.
We also began a new story that tells of the gentle waking of Lady Spring. After a long and cold winter, Father Sun makes several loving attempts to rouse her from her slumber. A few times she awakens, wraps herself in her cloak woven with the colors of flowers, brushes her long hair still stained with the hues of the earth, and steps outside. Yet each time, the lingering chill sends her back to her warm bed. Until one morning, at last, Lady Spring steps out and finds the air truly warm. As she walks across the land, flowers bloom in her footsteps. These simple stories, with their pleasing refrains and living imagery, give language and inner pictures to the children’s relationship with the earth and the turning of the seasons.
Next week, the children will continue exploring our new seasonal circle songs and get their hands in the soil (nothing new for these students of the forest) as we begin a spring planting project. Each child will plant lima bean seeds in compostable pots, tending them carefully as we await the first green shoots of the season.
Announcements & Reminders:
Hummingbird conferences will be held in the morning on March 11 and in the afternoons on March 12th and March 13th. Please SIGN UP HERE.
March 7: Community Work Day
March 11-13: Hummingbird Parent Conferences
(March 12: Early release from 12:00-12:15 and no school on March 13)
March 18–19: Picture Day - Class photos will be taken, along with a makeup opportunity for students who missed photos in the fall.
Warmly,
Ki Alycia
