A Day at Brigit´s Garden
It is 8.50 am and the first children arrive walking hand in hand with their parents – the cars are left up the short lane that leads to our present house. They come all dressed for a day outdoors in the west of Ireland! Over the years we have found good sources of waterproof clothing, woolen and silk underwear, wool insoles for the wellies and waterproof mittens. They also come with their hats on, summer hats when the warm weather starts…we keep both in case the weather changes.
Around 9.15am everybody has arrived and we gather to welcome the day, say good morning to each other and listen to the songs of the birds, coming from the woods, calling us.
Before we take off for our daily walk some children will be brought to the bathroom.
In Brigit´s Garden we know how important it is to give the children plenty of time. In this way they can relax and do some things by themselves, as their little fingers need time to learn.
Every day is different and in the countryside this is very obvious. The different seasons bring a lot of changes – colours, smells, and sounds. Over the next two and a half hours there will be plenty of opportunities for adventures, discoveries, wonder, courage and leadership. The adults walk at the children’s pace, the little ones, some as young as 18 months, held by the hand. The older ones, between 4 and 5, walk ahead picking sticks and stones, running through puddles in wet weather. There are different places to visit. We stop and the children play, climb and revisit “the houses”, places conquered over the seasons.
Nature offers the children an experience that suits their imagination – the fallen tree trunk becomes a train one day, a horse the next! There are big stones, deep ditches, soft moss, prickly brambles, hills to climb and soft beds of dry leaves where to lay…Nature is a treasure chest with no bottom or end.
We start getting tired and it is time to go back, but before we go we find a good place to gather for the sharing of some apples. It is nice and quiet and the apples are good, the World is good!
Back at “home” lunch is waiting, grain puddings, soups, homemade bread…everything will taste good after the morning out in the fresh air. Outdoor gear is taken off; wellies left together, hats in the basket! Inside the house the older children visit the toilet while the little ones sit on the potties. Hands and faces washed and hair brushed, the children sit around the table. All eyes shining, rosy cheeks and very white bibs, the big shiny pot is unwrapped from the blankets that kept it warm. A candle is lit and the meal blessed simply. The children are hungry and the food is good. It is a very quiet time, a time to rest and enjoy the food. When we are all finished we give thanks. The little ones are ready for their rest in bed.
At the table the older ones listen to a story. Soon it is 1.00 pm and the parents start arriving. Sometimes there is a bit of time left to play in the garden where there is sand and a slide. If is cold and rainy we go to the big room, the adults iron or mend clothes and there are things to play with: wooden blocks and animals, clothes to make capes and dresses with, cushions that turn into buses and boats, and cozy houses under the table, covered with blankets. Life is good and simple at Brigit´s Garden. When you are four you will help in the kitchen. The bread and the soup have to be made for next day, the bowls and spoons washed and dried, the floor swept and in some special occasions we make cakes.
At Brigit´s Garden we want to offer the children the opportunity to experience the goodness and the abundance of the world. Nature is like a window to a world of wonder and true things. We want to offer the children the sense of fraternity and oneness. The children and the adults are kind to each other.
In September when our new home is finished we will have room for grandmother and grandfather to come and be with us. They know stories from the past. Grandma can make good scones and grandpa will help us dig the potatoes in the garden.
A Day at Brigit´s Garden
It is 8.50 am and the first children arrive walking hand in hand with their parents – the cars are left up the short lane that leads to our present house. They come all dressed for a day outdoors in the west of Ireland! Over the years we have found good sources of waterproof clothing, woolen and silk underwear, wool insoles for the wellies and waterproof mittens. They also come with their hats on, summer hats when the warm weather starts…we keep both in case the weather changes.
Around 9.15am everybody has arrived and we gather to welcome the day, say good morning to each other and listen to the songs of the birds, coming from the woods, calling us.
Before we take off for our daily walk some children will be brought to the bathroom.
In Brigit´s Garden we know how important it is to give the children plenty of time. In this way they can relax and do some things by themselves, as their little fingers need time to learn.
Every day is different and in the countryside this is very obvious. The different seasons bring a lot of changes – colours, smells, and sounds. Over the next two and a half hours there will be plenty of opportunities for adventures, discoveries, wonder, courage and leadership. The adults walk at the children’s pace, the little ones, some as young as 18 months, held by the hand. The older ones, between 4 and 5, walk ahead picking sticks and stones, running through puddles in wet weather. There are different places to visit. We stop and the children play, climb and revisit “the houses”, places conquered over the seasons.
Nature offers the children an experience that suits their imagination – the fallen tree trunk becomes a train one day, a horse the next! There are big stones, deep ditches, soft moss, prickly brambles, hills to climb and soft beds of dry leaves where to lay…Nature is a treasure chest with no bottom or end.
We start getting tired and it is time to go back, but before we go we find a good place to gather for the sharing of some apples. It is nice and quiet and the apples are good, the World is good!
Back at “home” lunch is waiting, grain puddings, soups, homemade bread…everything will taste good after the morning out in the fresh air. Outdoor gear is taken off; wellies left together, hats in the basket! Inside the house the older children visit the toilet while the little ones sit on the potties. Hands and faces washed and hair brushed, the children sit around the table. All eyes shining, rosy cheeks and very white bibs, the big shiny pot is unwrapped from the blankets that kept it warm. A candle is lit and the meal blessed simply. The children are hungry and the food is good. It is a very quiet time, a time to rest and enjoy the food. When we are all finished we give thanks. The little ones are ready for their rest in bed.
At the table the older ones listen to a story. Soon it is 1.00 pm and the parents start arriving. Sometimes there is a bit of time left to play in the garden where there is sand and a slide. If is cold and rainy we go to the big room, the adults iron or mend clothes and there are things to play with: wooden blocks and animals, clothes to make capes and dresses with, cushions that turn into buses and boats, and cozy houses under the table, covered with blankets. Life is good and simple at Brigit´s Garden. When you are four you will help in the kitchen. The bread and the soup have to be made for next day, the bowls and spoons washed and dried, the floor swept and in some special occasions we make cakes.
At Brigit´s Garden we want to offer the children the opportunity to experience the goodness and the abundance of the world. Nature is like a window to a world of wonder and true things. We want to offer the children the sense of fraternity and oneness. The children and the adults are kind to each other.
In September when our new home is finished we will have room for grandmother and grandfather to come and be with us. They know stories from the past. Grandma can make good scones and grandpa will help us dig the potatoes in the garden.
A Day at Brigit´s Garden
It is 8.50 am and the first children arrive walking hand in hand with their parents – the cars are left up the short lane that leads to our present house. They come all dressed for a day outdoors in the west of Ireland! Over the years we have found good sources of waterproof clothing, woolen and silk underwear, wool insoles for the wellies and waterproof mittens. They also come with their hats on, summer hats when the warm weather starts…we keep both in case the weather changes.
Around 9.15am everybody has arrived and we gather to welcome the day, say good morning to each other and listen to the songs of the birds, coming from the woods, calling us.
Before we take off for our daily walk some children will be brought to the bathroom.
In Brigit´s Garden we know how important it is to give the children plenty of time. In this way they can relax and do some things by themselves, as their little fingers need time to learn.
Every day is different and in the countryside this is very obvious. The different seasons bring a lot of changes – colours, smells, and sounds. Over the next two and a half hours there will be plenty of opportunities for adventures, discoveries, wonder, courage and leadership. The adults walk at the children’s pace, the little ones, some as young as 18 months, held by the hand. The older ones, between 4 and 5, walk ahead picking sticks and stones, running through puddles in wet weather. There are different places to visit. We stop and the children play, climb and revisit “the houses”, places conquered over the seasons.
Nature offers the children an experience that suits their imagination – the fallen tree trunk becomes a train one day, a horse the next! There are big stones, deep ditches, soft moss, prickly brambles, hills to climb and soft beds of dry leaves where to lay…Nature is a treasure chest with no bottom or end.
We start getting tired and it is time to go back, but before we go we find a good place to gather for the sharing of some apples. It is nice and quiet and the apples are good, the World is good!
Back at “home” lunch is waiting, grain puddings, soups, homemade bread…everything will taste good after the morning out in the fresh air. Outdoor gear is taken off; wellies left together, hats in the basket! Inside the house the older children visit the toilet while the little ones sit on the potties. Hands and faces washed and hair brushed, the children sit around the table. All eyes shining, rosy cheeks and very white bibs, the big shiny pot is unwrapped from the blankets that kept it warm. A candle is lit and the meal blessed simply. The children are hungry and the food is good. It is a very quiet time, a time to rest and enjoy the food. When we are all finished we give thanks. The little ones are ready for their rest in bed.
At the table the older ones listen to a story. Soon it is 1.00 pm and the parents start arriving. Sometimes there is a bit of time left to play in the garden where there is sand and a slide. If is cold and rainy we go to the big room, the adults iron or mend clothes and there are things to play with: wooden blocks and animals, clothes to make capes and dresses with, cushions that turn into buses and boats, and cozy houses under the table, covered with blankets. Life is good and simple at Brigit´s Garden. When you are four you will help in the kitchen. The bread and the soup have to be made for next day, the bowls and spoons washed and dried, the floor swept and in some special occasions we make cakes.
At Brigit´s Garden we want to offer the children the opportunity to experience the goodness and the abundance of the world. Nature is like a window to a world of wonder and true things. We want to offer the children the sense of fraternity and oneness. The children and the adults are kind to each other.
In September when our new home is finished we will have room for grandmother and grandfather to come and be with us. They know stories from the past. Grandma can make good scones and grandpa will help us dig the potatoes in the garden.