October
by Robert Frost
Oh hushed October morning mild Thy leaves have ripened to the Fall Tomorrow's wind If it be wild Should waste them all. The crows above the forest call Tomorrow they may form and go. Oh hushed October morning mild begin the hours of this day slow. Make the day seem to us less brief Hearts not averse to being beguiled Beguile us in the way you know Release one leaf at the break of day at noon another One from our tree one far away. Retard the sun with gentle mist Enchant the land with amethyst Slow, slow! For the grapes sake if that were all Whose leaves already are burnt with frost, Whose clustered fruit must else be lost For the grapes' sake along the wall. O hushed October morning mild Beguile us in the way you know Begin the hours of this day slow.
This beautiful poem by Robert Frost was put to music by former neighbor and dear friend Doug Lofstrom. It was performed and recorded by the Bullfrogs Community Choir and is shared below. This is what our students, parents and teachers have been enjoying these past few weeks in our wild places. This next week will mark the finish of our Autumn Field ecology schedule. Nineteen trips to experience the wild. Many thanks to the scores of parents and volunteers who have and will share these adventures with our students.
Monday, October 25, 10:00, 1st Grade Room 210 are slotted to visit the garden to harvest potatoes and study trees. Unfortunately, at this moment, there appears to be an 80-90% chance of rain. If so, we will reschedule. Happily our potato harvest is excellent and enough to supply all the students who will visit the garden during Harvest Day (Friday, Oct. 29).
On Tuesday , October 26, 2021, 7th Grade, Room 305, will travel to Montrose Point to be introduced to the Lake and Dune, their ecology and origins, hosted by Friends of the Parks, and the Corinthian Yacht Club. Last week, my co-leader, Andrea Dennis, from FOTP, reminded our students, as they contemplated the swelling waves and sparkling waters of the Lake, that we are part of this ecosystem, our very bodies are connected to the Lake’s waters. Please join us for this adventure. The bus leaves at 9:30, and we return at 1:15. Bring a healthy, waste free lunch to be enjoyed harbor-side.
On Wednesday October 27, 5th Grade Room 318, and Thursday, Oct 28, Room 319 will visit Sauganash Prairie Grove as Mighty Acorns. They will be studying Habitat Fragmentation and its effect on biodiversity. They will take part in a simulation activity that will help explain why larger natural land masses located closer to each other will tend to sustain higher levels of biodiversity. They will also explore Sauganash, and collect rare seed. Join us at 9:15 for a briefing on the day’s activities. There will be a picnic lunch on site. Back by 1:15.
Friday, October 29, is Harvest Day at Waters. We will be hosting Pre-K to 2nd grade in the garden for our home grown, organic, baked potatoes, with hot cider, around the fire circle. I will share with the students a story that, I hope, helps explain both the mystery of this season, and why it is celebrated around the world. I invite anyone who is able to help me prepare the oven, the campfire, the cider, the potatoes, to cook, and serve and settle our little ones for the story. I will be visited by 10 classes, one at a time, starting at 9:15. It is a marathon of potatoes and stories and smoke and cider. Please let me know if you can help.
Here is the link to the 3rd story of this Halloween,
Day of the Dead trilogy,
Hey! We’re Okay! How are you?
The foto below came to me as a surprise, a telephoto candid by former Waters parent, restoration ecologist, and well known bird expert Jeff Skrentney. This group of 4th graders are learning about the plant communities that live in the slough and flood plain wood.
Mr. Leki
