Little Finch Photo Journal: Place and Space
by Teacher Alice
The Finches found ourselves to be migratory this past week, adjusting (and readjusting) to changing surroundings, adapting to new frictions as they arise, and accepting fresh opportunities for exploration of the space and ourselves. Our Finch culture is strong, and we are lucky to have touch-points that we take with us: wherever we go, there we are.
Bright mugs form a perfect circle around fresh-picked greens. A simple tea ritual becomes an invitation to slow down, gather, and taste the forest together.
Forest tea time; a ritual of gathering and gratitude.
Sunlight crowns the root mound like a summit. Small boots grip bark and soil as brave bodies rise, testing balance and strength against the sky.
Root climbing builds balance, strength, and confidence.
Curiosity pulls us downward into the cool shade of a stone circle. Children lean in, pass sticks, and peer into the earth, discovering that learning sometimes begins by climbing down instead of up.
Gathered in the stone circle, curiosity leading the way.
Up high in the branches, the world feels wide and bright. Brave bodies balance, steady themselves, and look out over the canyon, practicing courage one careful step at a time.
Learning balance, strength, and bravery in the branches.
A fallen tree becomes a castle, a cave, a mystery to solve. Small hands trace bark ridges and root tunnels, discovering that even giants who fall still hold stories, shelter, and wonder.
When a fallen tree becomes the best playground.
Blankets unfold beneath arching branches, backpacks unzip, and little hands gather for a shared snack in the shade. The forest becomes our classroom and our dining room, sunlight flickering through leaves as stories and crumbs scatter together on the earth.
Outdoor snack time in our Pasadena forest classroom.