Rainy Season

Inspired by last week's rain showers, Front Yard mom Sara Hinkley shares some reflections on the changing seasons.

On Friday at CCC, we had our first big rain of the season. Most of the kids enjoyed the drizzle for a while, pulling out coats and boots and sticking it out on the hill. But as the rain got heavier almost everyone moved indoors. (And I got my first taste of the lovely spirited chaos that is indoors on a rainy day!) We had fun getting everyone into warm clothes and feeling cozy.

By lunchtime, only Nolan was still outside: "I still need to be getting wet!" he told Auden over and over. But finally it was time to dry off for lunch, and so he did.

I often think of the Bay Area as a place without real seasons, and feel a bit wistful trying to explain snow to Ethan, or remembering the warm summer evenings I spent playing outside as a kid. But life at CCC has felt very attuned to the seasons lately, and seeing all the changes through a preschooler's eyes reminds me that the cycles of life are rich with possibilities for learning and exploring.

-- Sara Hinkley (Ethan, FY)
(Ethan's favorite book about rain is In The Rain With Baby Duck)

Jack O' Mountains

Annie Burke (mom of Alex, FY) shares a special CCC moment--an unexpected surprise at pick-up time last night.

When I went to get Alex at Tea Time this evening, I found the kids, Hannah and Brian walking out of the building towards the back. They were following Brian who was telling a story about Jack O Mountains. Brian crouched down with some matches (the kids were standing away at a safe distance, of course) in the sandbox. After a few minutes and several matches we saw this (see photo).

They built it during the afternoon and waited until it was dark--now about 5:20--to light him up. The kids oooo-ed and awww-ed... and so did the gathering parents who were there to pick up their kids. I missed the story that Brian told but it was clear that whatever it was, it was full of imagination, passion and a deep care for our kids. That place and the teachers who breathe life into it everyday are pretty special.

-- Annie (Alex, FY)