How Many People Here Are Interested...

[Josiegirl]

Most definitely interested! I'm meeting Tuesday p.m. with my childcare resource specialist to help me brainstorm ideas for a more natural backyard. Right now I have the typical Little Tikes backyard experience going on. I'm done with that. Mostly this past summer they used the sandbox and the tire swing. LT sat there.

[Josiegirl]

Willow I am so jealous about watching the deer give birth!! You're so lucky to be able to share that with your dcks! And to see it yourself!

[Willow]

Willow I am so jealous about watching the deer give birth!! You're so lucky to be able to share that with your dcks! And to see it yourself!

I got a couple of really good pictures holding my phone up to my binocular lens, hang on a sec

[Willow]

From the time I realized what was going on (she was sort of hunched over and I really thought she was a bear at first glance!) until the time they walked off was only about a half hours time. She turned and that's when I saw her face, turned again and saw danglies out her back end and figured it out. The kids kept asking what was wrong with her and even after I sort of explained the holder's still thought she was just having a giant bm

Once it hit the ground she cleaned it for awhile. It stood within probably 5-10 minutes and we got to watch it's first wobbly steps and fella bunch of times. After it found it's legs and she cleaned it some more they walked off go the back corn fields. I have NO idea why she choose to do it so close to the house as we have trees there but they're very sparsely planted and nowhere near grown yet. Was maybe 150 yards from where we were standing and she knew we were all there. She was watching us as intently as we were all watching here from the patio door windows.















My absolute FAVORITE

[Josiegirl]

Oh that is the most wonderful part of nature's beauty! I'm glad you got to see that and I can only imagine how thrilled and memorable an event that was for the kids! Thanks for sharing the pics! I get excited when I see 4-5 deer munching trees in the neighborhood in the middle of the night.

[My3cents]

I am interested but am not going to say that I am going to go all towards that approach. I strive for balance- I do love nature, but I also love modern too

I have been trying to not purchase anything that requires batteries for the daycare- trying. I often will find something at a yard sale and think that it is cool only to find out later it makes noise and actually had a button.

[MotherNature]

How cool about the deer! Yep, we do natural stuff here, both during childcare hours and on our own time.

[Jack Sprat]

I would love it! I am trying to get rid of our plastic toys. Slowly I am making our own. I love the Reggio Approach, we do nature walks everyday, we watched our cat have kittens, and we work in the garden daily.

This would be a great new forum!

[Neekie]

I'm interested, but I probably won't go into it in a big way because I am planning on retiring in a couple of years. But I do want to make some changes in that direction.

[Hunni Bee]

I decided that I'd like to send DD to a Waldorf/Waldorf-inspired elementary school, but I never thought about doing it it daycare. I'm always the "earthy" one at work (who gets roped into planning all the nature projects) so I guess it would make sense...

[tratliff]

Interested!

[Lyss]

I'm interested. My program is reggio based but I throw waldorf ideas in too. I don't feel I fit into just one style

I'm a no battery operated toys person and we spend as much time outside as we can. I don't have acreage (jealous of all your space Willow! Beautiful pictures!) but we have a large field the kids can play/explore and DH is a park ranger so we get all kinds of fun natural things brought home from him. We take hikes/nature walks often and once a month in the spring through fall DH does a special nature walk with the DC kids at his park

We're planning to move north a bit from where were are in a few years and there are a few outdoor kinder and elementary schools I've been looking at for DD.

I always like to hear new ideas and what other people are trying!

[Cradle2crayons]

We live on near 50 acres out in the country. The property was clear cut long ago for farming but when hubs built the house he started restoring it. Since then, and the three years I've been around we've planted many thousands of trees, dug out the three ponds (and plan to do that again in the next few years), planted large chunks to CRP to restore native prairie grass habitat as well as farm food plots for wildlife (helps our hunting but also supports local deer populations through tough winters. We have an ENORMOUS garden the kids help me plant in indoor greenhouse in early spring, plant outdoors in late spring, weed throughout summer, harvest, prep, and eat.

That passion for nature is a HUGE part of my "program." Weather permitting we get outside for nature walks and exploring daily. I believe with all my heart that kids need to get back to the very basics if at all possible and those that do are blessed for having the opportunity.

Best opportunity to date, they got to watch a doe give birth to a fawn just off the backyard. I never thought I'd ever see anything like that but to watch the kids all marvel at the sight brought tears to my eyes.....

The planet needs kids who grow up with that awareness, respect and joy.

couldn't have said it better myself.

We currently have four does with babies on our property and the kids have been watching intently since the first pregnant one showed up is year all alone.

My three sibling set had never seen anything like it. The boy told his granny (who owns a snow cone stand) that he wanted to go work a day to buy treats for the mama dear. He was very proud of himself the day he came to daycare with the deer treats and apple corn he bought.

My kids have always been close to nature because they've grown up in the woods as did I, but seeing my daycare kids come into this life has been interesting to say the least!!

I think a fundamental part of who I am came from growing up in nature. Learning respect for it young.

[craftymissbeth]

I would! I would LOVE to have a calm, all-natural, mostly wood play space both indoors and out. I'm struggling to figure out how my infants and toddlers would fit into a space like that, though. I'm positive it would work, but just don't have a vision of it yet.

[Familycare71]

I got a couple of really good pictures holding my phone up to my binocular lens, hang on a sec

Love the pics!!! What an amazing experience .
I would love land so I could have more animals and natural wildlife around us!