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Long Meadow’s Maple Sugaring Festival / Open House

The month of March always marks our Annual Maple Sugaring Festival/Open House!  Our programs are designed to allow for a child’s active imagination and imitative nature. Indoor activity includes arts, crafts, baking, play time, puppetry, guided movement and singing. Nature walks, gardening and play are enjoyed outside daily.

Parents and children welcome! There will be a puppet show and crafts!

Kindly RSVP: call Susan Pharr at 845.258.1354

 

Summer Time at Long Meadow

A few photographs from a recent mid-summer afternoon, featuring our new additions “mama,” “sister” and “plum-cake,” as well as two young acrobats.

Maypole Festival, Spring 2012!

Here are a few pictures from our beautiful Maypole celebration this Spring!

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Spiral of Light

A few images of our beautiful Spiral of Light, in celebration of winter.

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A Lantern Walk At Long Meadow!

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The sights, sounds of our first Long Meadow Lantern Walk linger on as we ‘live into’ the season of Autumn…I cannot Thank All of You enough for your support in creating such warmth and enjoyment and for a lovely evening together!

A little history on Lantern Walks past will be helpful…as a tradition rooted in European history. Ancient civilizations lived by the light of the sun, and guided by the rhythms of nature there was wisdom in marking  seasonal changes with celebrations.  In autumn as light diminished by day and the sun rode low on the horizon,  it was perceived as a time to call forth and protect one’s inner light and life giving forces.  Festivals would be held to assure that the sun’s light would return to warm and kindle new life again. Now in our Waldorf Schools we celebrate the changing light of the season by crafting lanterns to remind us of our own in-dwelling light. At dusk, our Long Meadow Families and Friends set out on a lantern lit walk through the Autumn woods, singing seasonal songs.  We then shared savory pot luck refreshments as we warmed our hearts and hands around our new and festive campfire circle!

The words of a favorite song describe the mood of the season and our lovely festival:

HIGH AND BLUE THE SKY

High and blue the sky
Trees are very tall.

Wild geese flying seem so small.

See on silent wings in flocks they go

Never parting from a single row.

We go through the land

Like a wild geese band

Brothers in one flight are we.

Clear and dark the night

Stars are very bright.

Lantern shining seems so small

See in single file we walk along

Singing joyfully our lantern song.

We go through the land

Like the wild gees band,

Sisters in one light are we.

After a most enchanting and sweet light filled evening here at Long Meadow’s Lantern Walk Festival memories and impressions linger. Your support helped make the magic happen for the children and for us grown ups too! The wonderful delicious food and great warming fire circle was good for the soul and the body! Today we started planting tiny crocus bulbs along the lantern path in the woods.  Where there had been lighted lanterns shining like little ‘earth stars’ the night before, now there will appear flowers in the spring!  I was told the following in an astronomy class during my training to become a Waldorf teacher.  The stars in the heavens have a direct correlation to the flowering of plant life on earth.  Reflecting on that over the years, when I remember to look into a flower, there I always see in some form a sign of visible truth.  Believe it or not, I have learned that if you look carefully, you will always find some sort of star formation in a flower.  I have not failed yet in seeing this–and it amazes me every time!

All in all our Lantern Walk has ‘quickened’ or brought to life an interest in the children– to plant our little bulbs and deepen the connection they made the night before.  The woods has special meaning now and it seems to offer something new, where we all journeyed with love, light and lanterns in the night.

May warmth and light keep and guide us throughout the season.

Spring Open House Photos

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Spring Open House Nature Walk, April 2011

On a rainy spring morning, we took a walk down to the edge of long swamp. Along the way we stopped to look at some mushrooms growing on a log, and had a few good puddle splashes at our walk’s end!

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Welcome!

Long Meadow is a warm and nurturing environment where children can freely explore their world. In a natural setting of meadows, gardens, warm colors and natural materials, our Waldorf Education-inspired programs are designed to meet the growing child’s need for balanced development of mind, body and emotions. Morning, Afternoon and Extended Day Programs serve children ages 2 to 12. Parent and Child classes offer early learning enrichment for the whole family.

Read more about Long Meadow School on our About page above, or click here.

Thank you for your visit!

Susan Pharr

Long Meadow Early Childhood Education Teacher