Barnyard Chatter

Learning To Grow!

2011-06-06T10:01:00.000-07:00

Playing in the dirt is a fun for a child of any age and at The Nature of Things we like going home with a little dirt under our fingernails. Gardening with children offers many benefits besides tasty food and beautiful flowers. It teaches patience, responsibility, and accountability. Growing schoolyard gardens also instills a sense of pride and accomplishment. Through gardening, children also learn the importance of taking care of living things and begin to appreciate the value of the physical work that goes into such tasks. Moreover, they realize what fresh picked vegetables look like before they are cleaned, waxed, packaged, shipped, and displayed in a grocery store. Children also learn valuable lessons such as eating healthy, respecting their environment, working cooperatively with others to help their garden grow, hands-on exploration, the wonders of science, and a plant’s life cycle.

First Roll-A-Thon

2011-06-03T14:32:00.000-07:00

On June 1^st and 2^nd, 80 children from the preschool, pre-kindergarten, interim-kindergarten, kindergarten, and elementary classes rode for a cause at our first annual roll-a-thon! The children raised over $2000 in pledges to help local child cancer patients from the Norris Cotton Cancer Center in Lebanon, NH. A raffle, bake sale, and lemonade stand also raised funds for this amazing cause. The kids had a blast riding around our own circle and were so proud of the number of laps they did! Almost all of the children rode over a half mile (7.14 laps) with most riding between a mile (14.27 laps) to almost four miles! Their smiles and laughter were a testament to a successful couple of days and the knowledge that they were riding “to help sick kids get better.”

Annual Sheep and Alpaca Shearing

2011-05-18T14:22:00.000-07:00

The students of Nature’s Pathways and 2^nd Nature Academy recently observed the annual sheep and alpaca shearing. The animals grow warm waterproof coats to insulate them from the elements in the winter. Each spring Malcolm Cooper visits the school and shaves the animals with electric shears. Malcolm explained to the children that shearing alpaca and sheep is similar to giving boys a “buzz haircut” and that it doesn’t hurt them at all. The fiber is then washed, dried, and used for various crafts both at school and at summer camp.

Painted Lady Butterflies

2011-05-09T13:34:00.000-07:00

On Friday May 6, 2010, the kindergarten classes released their Painted Lady Butterflies. Over the past three and a half weeks, the students watched the larvae grow into large furry caterpillars and then transform into chrysalises. After spring break, the students were excited to find Painted Ladies emerging from their chrysalises. They were pleased to release the butterflies in a field of blooming wildflowers, where they will feed and lay their eggs and continue the Painted Lady life cycle.

Earth Day

2011-05-09T12:58:00.000-07:00

On Friday, April 22, The Nature of Things joined forces and pitched in to help get our Earth clean in celebration of Earth Day. Preschool through Elementary school children scoured the campus, as well as the Dunstable Rural Land Trust woods, to pick up trash. The kids had a great time and enjoyed cleaning up their "outdoor classroom". Their efforts are to be commended!

Spring is in the Air, and in the Pond…

2011-04-12T10:55:00.000-07:00

For many, the sound of peepers is a true indicator of spring. The recent arrival of warm weather has brought with it a chorus of peepers, wood frogs, and tree frogs echoing each evening from our pond out back. This amphibian melody prompted us to venture out to the pond with boots on feet and nets in hand. Although it was a bit early in the season to actually find any frog eggs, we did discover a plethora of early stages of life. After viewing many samples of pond water, the entomologists in training excitedly observed midge larvae, backswimmer nymphs, giant water bug nymphs, and various other insect species. In addition, the children noticed a northern water snake sunning itself on a fallen branch before it quickly slithered away beneath the water. Wild creatures were not the only animals the children observed. Our Indian Runner ducks paddled ashore looking for some tasty morsels.

Pennies for Peace

2011-04-07T09:27:00.000-07:00

The elementary students at 2^nd Nature Academy recently learned the value of a penny. They discovered that in remote areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan many children, especially girls, never get the opportunity to attend school. Through Pennies for Peace, children all over the globe help promote peace through education by collecting pennies. One hundred percent of the money collected goes directly to building schools in rural areas, stocking them with supplies such as pencils, erasers, paper, and books, and paying teachers’ salaries.

The Nature of Things children and their families collected over $156 in pennies and other coins for Pennies for Peace through the school’s February service-learning project. The 1^st through 3^rd grade children then spent the morning at People’s United Bank in Merrimack counting the coins with the assistance of the wonderful bank staff. The picture below shows several of the students receiving a cashiers check from the staff at Peoples United Bank. The check was mailed into Pennies for Peace. While at the bank, the children also learned about the field of banking and even got to assist customers at the drive through window.

To learn more about this charity, read Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson or visit penniesforpeace.org.

TNOT Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) Pancake Breakfast

2011-04-05T13:12:00.000-07:00

TNOT PAC organized a successful pancake breakfast get-together for TNOT families and friends. Approximately 200 guests were served breakfast in our new post and beam multi-purpose room. Our new healthy and environmentally friendly school building was toured by many extended family members. All proceeds from the event were dedicated our school garden project. Each year the school children tend to organic gardens at the school and the harvest produce is served to the children.

A 30' by 36' green house was recently constructed on the school campus and will soon be home to a large variety of organic garden plants started by seed by the elementary school children. Organic garden seedlings are currently lining the windowsills of the classrooms awaiting the completion of the greenhouse tables and raised beds. In addition, raised beds will be constructed outside each classroom for the children to tend throughout the season. Plants that have already germinated include several varieties of tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, broccoli, and kale. Squashes, pumpkins, beets, carrots, cucumbers, lettuces, corn, onions, potatoes, herbs, and flowers will be planted in the gardens when the danger of frost passes.

New Kids on the Block

2011-04-05T12:42:00.000-07:00

On February 3, 2011 Fiona gave birth to four kids, two girls (Sydney and Annie) and two boys (Seamus and Finnegan). Sadly, Finny only lived two days as he was the tiniest of the litter. Sydney, Annie, and Seamus are all healthy and happy kids who love attention and are very playful. Sydney is mostly black with some patches of brown, Annie is mostly brown with one patch of white, and Seamus is brown and white like his mom.

Post-and-Beam Raising Event

2010-05-17T09:40:00.000-07:00

A website that helps families get the most of nature!

2010-05-17T08:30:00.000-07:00

Looking for ways to connect with your kids and nature? Check out Nature Rocks and start exploring!

This really cool website has loads to offer and the handiest tool may be the "Find Activities" browser. It allows you to enter how much time you have available, the location, and the ages of the participants. It then produces a list of correlating activities for you, your child, or your family. Other tools includes "Find Nature," which helps you discover spots based on your zip code and "Connect," which helps you share with family and friends.

For spring-appropriate activities, you can download a PDF of the Spring Activity Guide from the right hand side of the homepage or directly if you click here.

Still need some convincing? Read more after the jump and you'll find reasons why Nature Rocks!

Here is a synopsized version of a list that the site provides!

Top 5 Reasons Why Nature Rocks

1. Happier children and families
Nature turns frowns upside down. Studies indicate that children who play and explore outdoors are less stressed and may further benefit by learning confidence and social skills.
2. Healthier children and families
Get out with the bugs to prevent getting a bug. Nothing’s better at keeping away the bugs we don’t want than staying active. And nothing keeps kids active more than fun and interesting things to explore and do.
3. Smarter children
Better focus without any hokus pokus! Nature has all sorts of patterns and parts. And all the parts somehow fit together. When children get to play in the outdoors from the earliest age, they learn - what is what, how things fit together, what they do.
4. It's free
Free is always a great price. Most activities you can do outside don't cost a single penny.
5. Fun for the whole family
Unplug, relax and explore, together. Want to do something for the family that is easy and fun for you too? Activities in nature are something the whole family can enjoy.

Greenest Camps - Lovewell makes the cut!

2010-05-17T06:55:00.000-07:00

Camp Lovewell was recently named one of the fifteen greenest summer camps in the nation by Mother Nature Network and was the only one from New Hampshire to make that list!

Click here to see all 15 or here to jump directly to our spot!

A Little History

2010-05-03T13:17:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Barnyard Chatter, the official blog of The Nature of Things. Since the best place to start is usually the beginning, we figured we would kick this blog off with an introduction to our humble origins.

The Seed

Founded 13 years ago, The Nature of Things began as a small, private preschool located in an addition to the Gleeson family home. We began to build the school with the intention of reconnecting children with the great outdoors and instilling an appreciation of the natural world. We also aimed to bring children back to a simpler time when kids understood where their food came from and their diets were not filled with additives, pesticides, refined sugars, and artificial colors. Believing we could reach families by educating children and promoting healthy lifestyles, we set off!
The Sapling

The ultimate goal was always to run a school on a working farm. Before long, The Nature of Things was outgrowing its small space, but the search for the perfect farm came up empty handed. Instead, the school was expanded to our Merrit Parkway location. It had forested land out back, plenty of room for a garden, and a nice little pond nearby for nature studies. The space was ample, sunny, and convenient... but it still wasn't a farm.

In 2006, the perfect property was finally discovered: twenty-two acres of fields and forest complete with a barn, pond, and access to a main road, all while abutting 350 acres of conservation land. We hit the ground running. Four years later we have a working farm with nine Nubian milk goats, six Romney sheep, two fainting goats, two alpaca, twenty-six hens, one rooster, two horses, ten Indian Runner ducks and four rabbits. The school is licensed through grade six.

Our new healthy high performance school building meets strict criteria for site selection and sustainable building practices while utilizing highly efficient plumbing systems, solar voltaic electricity, and a super-efficient geothermal heating system. It also utilizes recycled and local materials, maximizes natural lighting, includes certified wood from sustainably managed forests, and is void of products that contain toxins that may contribute to unhealthy buildings. Working closely with a team of green architects, planners, environmental science specialists, and local contractors, 2nd Nature Academy recently became the first LEED certified green school in New Hampshire!

Our Roots

At The Nature of Things, we try to provide an alternative educational environment with a strong emphasis on environmental science education, sustainable farming education, and sustainable lifestyles. It is our objective to provide a learning environment that enables children to experience success in all curriculum areas through the use of an integrated, multi-sensory curriculum, inquiry based curriculum. Through use of the Multiple Intelligence rationale, we teach through eight areas of intelligence:

Multiple Intelligences graph
(http://www.geography.org.uk/image/page/steelfig2.jpg)

With a well-rounded, hands-on approach, students at 2nd Nature Academy and Nature's Pathways are given opportunity to explore all subject areas through the use of music, movement, manipulatives, drama, literature, nature walks, cooking, art, group projects, individual activities, and discussion as well as traditional textbook modes.

For more information on our curriculum, please see our website at Nature's Academy!

Branching Out

Ultimately, it is our hope that by providing today's children with an education that keeps them healthy and happy, they will be able to pass it on as the stewards of tomorrow's Earth! And we hope this blog helps your family in those pursuits!