Seedlings: September 15, 2026

The weather couldn’t quite decide what it wanted to do this morning. The sky looked a little like rain, so we started our day by looking up. We checked out the clouds and talked about which kinds might be telling us that rain was on the way.

After reading Tap the Magic Tree, we gathered for our morning meeting and planned the day together. Everyone had a chance to share their ideas, and we talked about what might make sense to do first with the uncertain weather. It was a nice opportunity to practice listening to one another and making a plan as a group, while also remembering that sometimes nature gets a vote too.

The Seedlings had a snack while I read What If Everybody Did That?, and then we headed down to The Flats.

At Silly Goose Beach, we were happy to find the river low enough for exploring. Some of the kids immediately got to work fishing and managed to catch one fish, while others joined me on shore to build sand castles.

Our castle building quickly turned into an experiment. How much water should we add? What happens when the sand is too wet? Too dry? We played around with different combinations until we found mixtures that would actually hold their shape.

Eventually, everyone found their way into the river.

There were already fallen leaves around, so we started dropping them into the current and watching where the water carried them. The wind was strong too, which led us to wonder: How can we tell the wind is there when we can’t actually see it?

The kids had plenty of ideas. We could see hair blowing, trees moving, and changes on the surface of the water. We tossed leaves into the air and watched which direction they travelled. Something invisible became very noticeable once we started paying attention to what it was moving.

Back on shore, we settled in for a couple of books. We read about fossils and then The Shortest Day, which introduced us to the autumn equinox and the seasonal changes happening around us.

Of course, after reading about fossils, we needed to go looking for the real thing!

Our fossil hunt turned up some interesting finds, including an unexpected bug that caught everyone's attention along the way. I love how easily one investigation turns into another out there. You can head out looking for rocks and end up crouched over an insect instead.

Back at Heron Tree Estates, everyone spread out into their own projects.

Some got busy with the habitat materials in the Tuff Tray, while the new scale in the mud kitchen was a big hit. All sorts of things needed to be weighed once there was a scale available to weigh them!

A few Seedlings moved over to the rope swing before we headed into the dome for lunch. After eating, the blocks came outside and were transformed into “ships” and one very important “fighter jet.”

One kiddo chose to stay cozy in the dome for a story while the others headed back outside and got thoroughly involved in the Dig Pit. There was mud, digging, and some enthusiastic chalk smashing happening in the mud kitchen.

Then I noticed two boys crouched suspiciously in the back corner of the yard.

When I walked over, they turned around with their mouths absolutely full of wood sorrel.

Apparently foraging had quietly become part of the afternoon too!

It was one of those days where the children's interests moved easily from one thing to the next: weather to water, sand to wind, fossils to bugs, weighing to building, and eventually mud and handfuls of lemony leaves.

Thanks for a great day, Seedlings!