Notes from the Classroom: Meadow Mornings: Where Little Learners Find their Voices

by Kristina Eaddy and Tuesday Vanstory, Meadow Nursery Teachers

Imagine yourself as a young child, walking up the hill with your beloved adults and spotting a cozy, two-story cottage in the woods: Here is your new school! You sense immediately that this will be something special. Inside, teachers greet you warmly: “Good morning, we’re so glad you’re here.”

Soon, you’ve got the routine down: you find your custom labeled cubby and drop off your belongings. You answer the “Question of the Day,” and declare to your community, “I’m here,” by hanging your labeled symbol on a tree. Already, you’re practicing independence and agency. You’ve got this!

The entryway is bathed in natural light from our two skylights. There you find our Peace Corner, featuring a large, soft rocking chair and a shelf filled with calming sensory objects, plants, family photos, and twinkling lights. A special stool by the window lets you wave goodbye to your loved ones as they walk down the hill. You enter the main room, which features our large Circle Time rug, benches for reading, and tables with inviting, open-ended activities. Under your teachers’ guidance, you choose what you want to do. The only requirements: be safe, practice kindness.

Upstairs, you find large blocks, manipulatives, dolls, stuffed animals, and wooden animal models. Dramatic play, construction, sing-alongs, and yoga also unfold in this spacious area. Outdoors, our meadow offers context for nature-based learning: you can turn over stumps for grubs and earthworms, climb trees and logs, water the pollinator garden, tread the hiking path, fill the bird feeder, and play in the giant sandbox. You are not just an observer, but an important and equal part of this nature scene. As one of the youngest students in the Miquon community, you are given the opportunity to discover who you are beyond your family, contribute to your school community, build friendships, practice fairness, and learn to honor perspectives different from your own. Mistakes aren’t failures, but stepping stones.

Here you are celebrated and honored, free to be your whole self. Won’t you join our circle?

This article was originally published in the 2023-2025 Annual Giving Report.