Hello Overfield Families,

Today was another lovely Monday! The many living things that call Overfield home continue to grow and flourish in our absence, and all of us who work at Overfield are sad to be missing the opportunity to marvel with you at the beauty that is spring on the hill!

It has been equally beautiful to see, though, how our teachers and families have risen to the challenge of making the best of a tough situation. Our teachers have shown such dedication and persistence in trying to transform what is a highly personal, responsive philosophy into something translatable to an online format. I am impressed daily with the quality of the provocations they are sending and the depth of the projects they are facilitating.

It is equally heartwarming to see the dedication and care that our families are putting into supporting their children during this time. Of course we love to see when you interact with or respond to the ideas that the teachers send out to you, but we also love to see the creative things you are doing with your children on your own. We also particularly love to see the brilliance and learning that is inherent in children’s self-guided, unstructured play. There is so much value in the imaginative play children engage in on their own or with siblings. So, even if you are busy working or caring for other children, know that if your child is playing, your child is learning! As we always say, as advocates for children’s right to play, play is a child’s work–and play is enough!

Today I will leave you with quotes from a couple of brilliant thinkers which echo the thoughts above. Albert Einstein said, “Play is the highest form of research.” We know that if children are invested in play–particularly with open-ended materials or in environments full of loose parts like out in nature–they are observing, hypothesizing, testing, and researching. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “It is a happy talent to know how to play.” Indeed, being able to self-entertain, to discover things to wonder about and find engagement with, are lifelong skills and dispositions that serve children and adults alike. And, as your children develop this happy talent, it is perfectly okay for them to be bored! Boredom is best viewed as a place full of possibility, for it is the fertile ground from which creativity grows. Convincing them of this may take time, 🙂 but as with all things, persistence in cultivating this talent will pay off.

Thank you all, once again, for your support, engagement, and resilience through this unprecedented time. We are ever grateful for our strong bonds of friendship and collaboration. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with anything you may need!

Best wishes, Beth Poronsky – Overfield Program Lead

*IMPORTANT SUMMER CAMP REGISTRATION UPDATE*

We are still hoping to be able to offer in-person summer camp this June and July. However, we know that conditions with COVID-19 are ever-changing, and this may not be a possibility. We have made the following decisions regarding Summer Camp 2020:

Registration will still open, online only, on Monday, April 20.
There will be NO MONEY DUE AT REGISTRATION; all fees will be due by June 1st.
We will make a final determination on the viability of in-person summer camp by June 1st at the latest.

Please email office@overfield.org if you have any questions. Thank you!

Nature News

I am always amazed how Mother Nature manages to paint our part of the world with such a myriad of colors each spring. I find her green palette always appears more vibrant on rainy days; it helps make up for the loss of the sun. Speaking of green, while out on our deck, we noticed a green blob on the railing; on closer inspection we realized it was a grey tree frog, who had used its natural camouflage to hide its identity. We often find grey tree frogs on Overfield Hill when they choose to come out from the trees and shrubs. They magically manage to become part of a metal fence, or a tree house. Their ability to color coordinate, and stay undercover at the same time is amazing!

An uncommon Pileated Woodpecker flew across my yard this afternoon. What a striking bird it is, with its bright red head, and Woody Woodpecker profile. They have an attraction to wild black cherry trees and often leave their signature square pecking patterns in the tree’s trunk. We are pleased there is also one nesting near Overfield. A Baltimore oriole, another more rarely seen bird, has been hopping around in my buckeye trees this week, searching for food in the bottle brush blossoms. Their bright orange body is definitely an eye catcher.

I would say May is considered peak gardening month. Everything is still fresh and new–from weeding, to preparing the soil, to planting seeds and putting the plants into newly prepared beds. We are now working in our Overfield gardens. If anyone is interested in assisting, getting dirty, enjoy watching things come to life, and helping them grow, please contact me at, ddecurtins@overfield.org.

Please remember to social distance. MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU!

Deb – Overfield Naturalist

Registration for the 2020-2021 School Year

Thank you to everyone who has registered for the 2020-2021 school year! We are thrilled to be planning for our 60th year at Overfield.

Completed enrollment paperwork is due by May 1st, 2020. Please feel free to mail in your registration documents. We are checking the mail and will be able to receive your paperwork through this format despite the school closure.

Please do not hesitate to email office@overfield.org if you have any questions. We are looking forward to a wonderful year!

Posted by: overfield on May 5, 2020.