Firefighters & Harvest Party

Once again our gardener Andrew out did himself with a tasty Stone Soup. Most everyone who was brave enough to try the soup really liked it. Andrew also had a fire burning in the outdoor mud oven and was roasting apples for everyone to sample. We are so very lucky to have Andrew as his passion for gardening and ingenuity are boundless and our children reap the seeds that he sows.
Thanks so much to Firefighter Tom and Firefighter Ryan for taking time out of their busy day to help us all learn how to be safe and responsible if we were ever in an emergency situation. The children had great questions about the gear that Firefighter Tom wore. There were loads of stories about when smoke detectors went off in their homes and who had inadvertently set them off! Gotta love how 6 & 7 year old children tell it like they see it!

Our Travels to Bali

Last week we all took a virtual trip to Bali via Skype. An acquaintance of mine, Jan Reynolds who is the author of a series of books about vanishing cultures across the world, has spent quite a bit of time in Bali researching the Balinese rice farmers for her latest book entitled Cycle of Rice Cycle of Life. She is currently back in Bali with the rice farmers and wanted to Skype with us to share some of her findings. Jan introduced us to a young Balinese woman who said hello to the children (this ended up being their favorite part). We saw a statue that was 1/2 man 1/2 elephant, 2 men playing a beautiful and unique piano, orchids growing on trees, and lovely offerings created from grasses and flowers. It was a very unique experience. We are looking for a classroom somewhere in the world that would like to become our Skype pals!