Whether in our on-campus class on Thursdays or our Seward Park class on Fridays, Roots & Shoots has been walking with the seasons all year. Now, with spring blossoming beneath our feet, the children are noticing baby buds on the trees, new shoots emerging from the earth, and a growing chorus of bird calls around us.

We make fishing poles with yarn and sticks, eagerly checking the ‘pond’ for a ‘fish’ to bite. Even through winter’s cold and rain, we found joy in the forest—evergreens, chickadees, and eagles keeping us company. Inside, warmth filled our space through painting, circle songs, storytelling, and bowls of warm oatmeal in a home-like environment.

A beloved friend, Tomkin, our rod puppet, visits after circle time, delighting the children as they gently shake his hand or offer him a soft hug. The joy among them is unmistakable as they discover one another. At this stage of development, parallel play is the name of the game—children contentedly play side by side, carrying water to and from the sandbox, each immersed in their own world. Yet, glimpses of emerging imaginative play shine through, like two friends climbing into the wooden boat to sail on silvery seas.

There’s more conversation at the snack table and picnic blankets—“Johnny has strawberries too!” and “I know the penguins at the zoo.” Through a slow and gentle start, the children grow familiar with each other and their surroundings, learning to "go to school" with joy from the very beginning.

One gentle, yet powerful, way a child grows connected to their environment and the seasons is through song. We enjoy singing these verses in Roots & Shoots as a way to develop seasonal and environmental noticing.

Crocus crocus, waking up

Catch a sunbeam in your cup

Hold it close, let it go

Lee lai lee lai lee lai lo

——

This the boat, the golden boat (cup both hands to make a boat)

That sails on the silvery sea (move hands like waves)

And these are the oars of ivory white (lace fingers together, palms up)

That lift and dip, that lift and dip (raise and lower hands)

Here are the ten little fairy men (hold up ten fingers)

Running along, running along (make fingers run)

To take the oars of the ivory white (repeat actions from first verse)