A Story in the Sunflower Garden

In story time, we have been gifted with a puppet show by Miss Sarah. It is a story of an evergreen tree in the woods that gives shelter and food to animals who come to it in need. Will it remain beautiful enough to be chosen as the Christmas tree by the queen? As I listen to Miss Sarah’s soothing voice and watch as she dreamily moves the animals about and nestles the little animals into a pocket of the tree, I feel how the children are “sheathed” by these stories. We are sheathing them with imaginations that truly are soul-nourishing and fortifying. From the spectator’s seat, I can feel this! I truly know that they become stronger and more resilient with the sheathing of our daily/weekly rhythm, storytelling, and seasonal celebrations through the circle of our year. While other schools may feel the pressure of teaching the alphabet, I trust that academics will flow so much more easily once we’ve really “prepared the soil” of educating the young child’s body and soul. ~Donna Brooks