Since school ended last Friday, I am focusing on what this summer will bring. Ironically, the summer before my son goes to college and we officially have an "empty nest", I will be nesting. In order to prepare the space for the Rose Garden Early Childhood Center at 257 Lafayette where we will run our programs in the fall, I will be doing what one does who is expecting a child (or many). In this case, preparing the space involves painting, moving in the materials that have been gathered over the years, sending out announcements and getting approval from the Office of Child and Family Services, etc. My Early Childhood colleagues from Aurora Waldorf School are even having a shower for me so we can gather more things for the center and celebrate its coming.
We spent time in the playground on Saturday, digging up dirt, planting where we could plant and envisioning how it will be for the children. Fortunately, the front is being excavated and there is plenty of dirt (some of it rich and organic matter) that we can use to build up our flower beds. I am learning a lot about plants since a parent from Aurora Waldorf School and Master gardener, Linda Maywalt was with us on Saturday. She created a sweet garden with a log in the middle of it and I can imagine the children leaning against the log and leaving little offerings of flowers and stones there. All the children's play areas will be surrounded by lovely gardens and we plan to create a berm up to the fence in the back so the children can roll or sled down it depending on the season.
Another part of nesting I think is preparing our soul forces to meet the coming child/children. I remember when I taught a Nursery school class and I stitched dolls for the children's birthday gifts. Some of the dolls would come together easily and others I struggled with. One doll I had to take apart and start all over again. I thought that making that doll was preparing me to meet a certain child and I was practicing patience and perseverance to strengthen those qualities in me so I could serve that child's needs.
Gathering materials, preparing the space (indoors and out), as well as preparing our souls are some of the ways we "nest". I imagine how beautiful the space will be and how wonderful it will be to greet the children there. It seems that while my home nest is emptying, it is the ideal time to be "nesting" an early childhood center. As my 84 year old mother tells me, there will be plenty of time to rest - later.
