I am trying to remember to bite off a little at a time.
I am trying to remember not to beat myself up for what I haven't done in the past. This has been one of my favorite quotes for years, and it is my driving force in my professional life.
"I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better." — Maya Angelou
I am trying to remember not to be frustrated when things don't happen as quickly as I want them to.
I am trying to remember that to a great degree, I am in charge of what I surround myself with, what I let into my life, and what happens to me.
I am trying to remember that the little school I imagined long ago can be exactly what I imagined it to be.
Here are the things we have been working on this year at school . . .
~Leslie
January
In January, Dio Miranda wrote about the importance of quality food and the fact that it is MORE than fuel for our bodies. Some of our initiatives on the food front have been:
1. Reading every food label for hidden ingredients such as soy and the variety of names given to preservatives such as MSG. Food manufacturers are tricky! Many common cereals, snack crackers, granola bars, and salad dressings contain a host of preservatives--even products labelled "natural". You might be surprised how hard you have to work to find pure food! Our previous post on this subject may be helpful.
And, this list may be helpful in eliminating preservatives.
2. Purchasing as much USDA certified organic food as possible. We find it helpful to shop at both Costco and Whole Foods, and occasionally HEB. With a strict food budget (we spend about $12,000 per year feeding our school children!), we find that shopping seasonally and being flexible is key. Stocking up on organic items that might be one sale can help, too. Once I found Bell and Evans chickens at Whole Foods for 99 cents per pound and bought six to stock my home freezer for several weeks!
We are mindful of the "dirty dozen" list, and may serve non-organic food items such as cantaloupe where the rind is removed. 3. Cook from scratch! It's much easier to eat well when you are responsible for every item in a meal. Make it fun by involving the entire family.
4. Having watched "Food, Inc.", our lives may never be the same! There's no conspiracy theory, it's absolutely true that our markets and restaurants are literally filled with sick animals that, because of the way they are raised, lack in nutrition. We are feeding the children at school USDA organic chicken and eggs, grass feed beef, and humanely raised free-roaming pork and chicken with vegetarian diets. Just to find the "correct" meat to eat can be a game!
We are fortunate to have a connection with Raising 5 Cattle Company for our grass fed beef. On a personal level, I find that buying beef one eighth (of a cow!) at a time is most cost effective and usually lasts 6-8 weeks for a family of 4 or 5.
February
1. In February, we switched to "glass" plates, or "real" plates for our PreK. The children handle the plates differently (with more respect), and we've only had two or three broken this month. Philosophically, we wanted the children to begin to see meal time as something even more sacred. With the extent we go to to provide healthy meals, we wanted to honor it with real plates! In March, we will be recycling all of our remaining plastic plates, cups, and "silverware" and switching to glass cups and real silverware. Toddlers may still drink from plastic sippy cups as we work to find healthy substitutes for those as well.
2. We began using nature trays at school during meal time, and the children have loved the experience of having lunch by candlelight. This has become a tradition at our evening meals at home, too.
3. Dio Miranda wrote about the importance of hydrating with water. The children at our school have constant access to their water bottles from home, and we use spring water to refill the bottles rather than tap water. This year we will investigate whether purchasing a reverse osmosis filtration system is a healthier source of water and whether or not it may also be more economical for the school vs. having spring water delivered. I will also be installing a reverse osmosis filter at my home, where we also currently use spring water.
4. We started organic, non-genetically modified seeds indoors while we waited on fairer weather to move our gardening out to the greenhouse. Our source for the seeds was Seeds of Change.
5. We completed the repair of our greenhouse, which is completely made from found items and recycled wood from various farm projects with the exception of the plastic we used, which is recyclable plastic from IKEA.
6. We continue to recycle 3-4 large trash cans of plastic, aluminum, cardboard, and glass each week. We recycle almost as much as we throw away each week!
March
A couple of our projects slated for March have been moved from previous months. We look forward to completing them!
1. Begin even more plants in the greenhouse with the warmer weather.
2. Till the garden and plant the following: lettuce, spinach, collard greens, carrots, herbs, broccoli, and cauliflower.
3. Compost the few brown paper hand towels that are used in the school for handwashing. With this accomplishment, we will only throw away three small bags of trash each day, and most of that trash will be diapers. Not bad for a school our size!!!
4. We will continue serving organic whole milk for the youngest children at our school, but find that the preschool children usually prefer water or end up wasting milk if they choose to take it at lunch. We will eliminate serving milk for our older children and will use the additional $25 saved each week in our food budget.
5. Our staff will be reading Beyond the Rainbow Bridge: Nurturing our Children from Birth to Seven. This is a wonderful book that is a great guide to fostering gentle discipline, household rhythms, and critical yet uncomplicated child's play. If you want to understand our school's highest ideals, this is the book to read! You can easily order a new or used copy through Amazon.
