Sprouts: October 15, 2026

Our Sprouts had a wonderful autumn day filled with colourful leaves, a new feline friend, some teamwork, and plenty of silliness!

As everyone arrived and settled into play, I read Room on the Broom, The Leaf Thief, and If You Find a Leaf. These stories were a lovely way to start our morning, especially with all the beautiful autumn leaves waiting for us outside.

We headed out for a walk to the Blackfriars Community Gardens, stopping along the way to admire the view of the river from up high. The children were disappointed to spot a huge piece of metal littering the water, which sparked some concern for our river and the creatures who call it home.

When we arrived at the gardens, we were greeted by a familiar face: the "bobcat" (who is actually a housecat!) that we've encountered before. This time, the children discovered his real name from his collar: Finnegan! They quickly decided that we'd call him Finn for short.

We wandered through the gardens admiring the beautiful flowers still blooming in mid-October. Some children settled in to colour, snack, and play the Animal Scat Memory Game, while others ran around playing a chasing game they'd invented together.

A couple of Sprouts joined me for a leaf hunt, and we spent some time looking closely at the incredible variety of leaves around us. So many different shapes, sizes, and colours, even within such a small area! We collected a few favourites to bring back with us.

On our walk home, we took a different route and discovered a tree stump. Naturally, we had to stop and count its rings! It's pretty fascinating to think that a tree's history can be recorded right there in its wood.

Back at Heron Tree Estates, I got a fire going while the children spread out to play. Some got busy in the dig pit, others spent time with the dogs, and just about everyone joined the search for any remaining raspberries on our bush!

A few children ended up covered in burrs, which led to an unexpected gardening project. We decided to trim back the offending plants and cover the garden bed with fallen leaves. Out came the rakes, and everyone worked together to get the job done. Sometimes the most meaningful work comes from solving a problem that pops up during play!

We also refilled our bird feeders. We've been a little inconsistent with keeping them stocked lately, and we haven't been seeing as many birds visiting. Hopefully, with some more regular feeding, we'll start seeing our feathered friends again.

After lunch, we slowed things down for some restful time. A few of our older Sprouts chose to read books to the younger children in the hammock, which was lovely to see. The rest of us listened to The Wind in the Willows on the Yoto while enjoying some calm activities.

Of course, we couldn't stay settled for too long!

At the park, the children got busy raking up a huge pile of leaves at the bottom of the slide. What followed was a whole lot of laughter, sliding, crashing, and piling on top of each other! They held onto one another as they slid down, landing in a jumble of leaves and friends.

It was a chaotic game full of movement, cooperation, excitement, and opportunities to figure out their own comfort levels and boundaries.

Back at the dome, we returned to the leaves we'd collected earlier. We strung some up to hang as decorations so we could continue enjoying their beautiful autumn colours. Some children chose to add leaves to their nature journals and label them, while others traced their shapes and coloured them however they imagined.

I love seeing how differently children approach the same materials. Some are interested in identifying and recording what they've found, while others are more drawn to creating something with them. There's room for both.

We worked together to tidy up our space and finished our day with a little more time at the park.

Thanks for a great day Sprouts!