Berardi Family Farm Childcare
Our Nature Explore Classroom has continued to be improved, and modified, dependent upon how the children are using the space. There was a corner that wasn’t being well utilized so we decided there should be a fort there! The children took part in the design and helped to drag branches that would be used in its construction.
Sadly, we needed to have a tree cut down that overhung the space. The tree was dying and could not be saved posing a threat to everyone’s safety. But we turned that negative into a positive and had some large sections of stump cut to create a balance path! We also have two, very heavy pieces in place to jump off. In the Fall we rake a huge pile of leaves and the children jump off the stumps into the pile. They love this activity! The addition of a large, outdoor easel has added a lot of inspiration to our Nature Art area!
We continue to work on a new garden design together as our old garden fencing has rotted away. Gardening is one of the children’s favorite activites so a good design is essential to the space. They do continue to grow herbs in an old horse trough and enjoy walking by and snagging a couple of mint leaves to chew on!
After a visit to the Maine Botanical Gardens, I am so inspired to add a footpath with varying sizes of river rock. The children are often barefoot, which is so important for sensory integration, so I feel the path would add wonderful sensory input!