November 2018

Newsletter

Sibyl, Lila, Mabel, Lorax; recent adventure day to Westmoreland Park

Hey there playschool friendz n' folks!

Welcome to the time of

fog and mist 

 fire n' prayer

thinning veils

and of 

surrender and acquiescence.

 I pray that yer days have been full and overflowing in all of them good feelin' ways. I pray that your senses know the smells, sounds, sights, and feelz of Autumn as intimately as the worms know the soil. 

 In my little corner of the world, this year's Fall season

brought an abundance of gifts to harvest and  process.

Gifts

of the land

 of life

of  heart

 of  spirit

 and of luv. 

 My gathering baskets are overflowing with the harvest foods, I witnessed the birth of my first grand babe, my meditations have offered me immense and profound reflections,  my ancestors and I visit daily now, and a luv be a pullin' on heart strings I thought dun burned up in The Great Fire. So many gifts. And I feel like I can't keep up with all the offerings and prayers of gratitude I know I must be makin' to honor the giving of these gifts.

So, I do my best to make my life a prayer, and to be in service of the ancestors and descendants of my lineages. I keep movin' towards gettin' my head n' heart right fer the work of  some day bein' an ancestor of well spirit myself, so that my spirit don't end up just another hungry ghost needin' feeding. 

 Anyhow, thanks fer walking with me towards that place.

Thanks fer lettin' me be part of your walk towards that place too. 

Onward through the seasonal tides. 

.May you find good pathways through them. 

xo, Miz Flow   ​​

Maeve, myself, Liam: Recent Portland Town Field Study

 Drop~in Play at the Moon's Nest 

Sibyl, Lorax, Mabel, Baby Z, myself, Lila, Violet; recent rainy day neighborhood field study

Through the year the Moon's Nest will be offering drop in play for our beloved friends who need less of a commitment and more flexibility than enrollment into our program requires.

Unlike our Monday ~ Friday programming, families are not required to officially enroll in our playschool, pay a monthly tuition, or forfeit tuition during your travel times. You decide when you want to drop your kiddo in for free play time, and for how long.

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This is a great option for the unschooley parents in our extended community who may just need an occasional day to their self, parents who find themselves in a time crunch and just need some extra support to make life happen, or families who travel often and just want some familiar friends to connect and play with when in town. It's also a great option fer families who follow the Portland Public School schedule and need supplemental play days during school closures. And, all of our enrolled families are welcome to use this option for the occasional weeks when your kiddo could benefit from some additional playschool time. 

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All the details and FAQ's about our handy~dandy new drop~in play option

can now be found over on our updated website. 

So go check it! 

Lorax & Maeve; recent Portland Town Field Study @ Elk Rock Island

 This year our playschool programming expanded in several key areas, moving more towards the goals and visions I put into writing nearly three years ago.  And I'll share that I'm feeling super blessed  and inspired by the efforts made by our playschool community to support the implementation of our expanded practices and programming.

 I'm feeling most excited about our  newly implemented Portland Town Field Studies program, and I've gotten to explore a whole bunch of new places as I've been scouting the city fer our Fall season locations. I really am looking forward to sharing these special places and spaces with this group of playschool friends, and supporting them in the cultivation of their place based learning and ways of knowing. So far  we've shared two great sessions of field study, and have our third session coming up on November 3rd. And starting in November, this program will begin meeting on alternating Tuesdays as well. The exact dates of the remainder of our Fall season can be found below, but in summary, Portland Town Field Studies will meet on alternating Tuesdays and Saturdays. 

We still got the space in this super dooper awesome program fer more friends to join us, so if'n ya ain't registered yet but wanna, you can do that via the google form below.

**And remember, if you are an enrolled playschool family, enrolled in our Monday- Friday program at least one day a week, you get to enroll in our Portland Town Field Study program on a pay~what~you~can basis 💜

About our Portland Town Field Studies Program

Our Portland Town Field Studies Program program meets on Tuesdays & Saturdays from 11 am-3 pm, on alternating weeks. Our rendezvous location fer our Tuesday meetings is the 13th & Clinton st. Max station, and our Tuesday field study location will alternate between OMSI & the Portland Children's museum, Our Saturday meetings will take place  at rotating rendezvous locations around the city. Locations will vary depending on the city's seasonal offerings and will include destinations such as children's museums, child focused play spaces, libraries, natural areas, art studios, children's theaters, etc.

Families can choose to add this program to their kiddos playschool enrollment, or choose to enroll in the field study program only as a stand alone option. Families can also choose whether their kiddo joins us fer just our Tuesday meetings, just our Saturday meetings, or both.  Maintaining the unschooley nature of this program is of great value to me, and still, enrollment into our Portland Town Field Studies Program is required for participation. This ensures that I can be prepared fer each of our field studies and be in good communications with parents about any adaptations in our schedule or itinerary fer the day.

All kiddos must be toilet proficient, have weather appropriate rain gear, and be able to manage an adventurous day of hopping across town on buses, trains, and feet er exploring forests while carrying their own child sized backpack.

Brown bag lunch required

Fall season Schedule

Saturday October 6th @ Elk Rock Island

Saturday, October 20th @ Dawson Park

Saturday November 3rd @ Lone Fir Cemetery Special Day of Samhain traditions 

Tuesday November 6th @ OMSI

Saturday November 17th @ Leach Botanical Garden~Forest bathing & Fall mushroom exploring

Tuesday November 20th @ Portland Children's Museum 

Saturday December 1st @ Ariel Tram ride to OHSU & Marquam Nature Park

Tuesday December 4th @ OMSI 

Saturday December 15th. @ NW Children's Theater viewing of Marry Poppins!

Tuition fer this program: Sliding Scale of $150-350/month

Contribute to our 2018-2019 Scholarship Fund

Recent Hearth Arts session; cooking over fire

To support us in our efforts to remain true to our anti-capitalist values, and still be able to pay our operating costs (rent, utilities, meals, payroll, materials ), we have a newly established Patreon platform that allows fer folks to commit to making a monthly tithe in support of our playschool scholarship fund.

The majority of our families are provided access to our playschool community by being able to contribute at the bottom of our payscale, or through scholarship. And, I want to be able to sustain being able to provide and support this kind of tuition model. For our 2018-2019 playschool year, we have expanded our teaching staff to better support our families. Which means, to be able to sustain this tuition model, it is crucial that our budget match our operating costs.

We are asking that all enrolled families and hired teaching staff sign up to contribute a minimum of $5.00/month towards our scholarship fund. This will help ensure that when any member of our community is struggling and needs a bit of a break with tution on any given month, that we can always offer that. Paying into the scholarship fund and helping us meet our scholarship funding goals is a way to know that you’ll never have to worry about your child’s access to playschool, even in hard times. We also ask that all enrolled families and hired teaching partners help us share this platform with their networks as a way to support and sustain us in continuing to offer this experiential tuition model.

The world is excited about our work here, and we offer one of the only queer centered, gender neutral playschool environments with a direct focus on subversive resistance and cultivating magical practices in early childhood.

So, take a moment and head on over to our Patreon platform.  And, please do invite yer network of friends, family, and allies to invest in this work.

Thank you for participating and exploring with us in this experiential tuition model to the best of your ability and in the best interest of The Whole. Because you know, It Takes a Village.

Upcoming Playschool Socials & Happenings

Playschool Potluck Movie Night

Friday November 16th @ 5pm

Join us at playschool fer our monthly potluck movie night.

This month, we'll be viewing the oh~so~ sweet short film, Lost and Found.

We'll share some dinner together so please do bring a potluck dish to share if'n ya be able. All playschool friends welcome. And bonus! Our Friday circle playschool friends are welcome to simply extend their day with us. Doors at 5pm fer all other friends.

We'll share our meal around 5pm and start the film at 5:30. Parents are welcome to join us or not, up to you. However, all kiddos must be on their way home by 6:30pm <3 

Portland Square Dance

The Portland Square Dance season is upon us!

Join me at the Village Ballroom on Sunday, November 18th fer a lovely evening of square dancing n' live old time music n' good friendz. More information and details over on the Portland Square Dance website. Hope to see sum of ya'll on the dance floor! 

Upcoming Playschool Breaks

Please do put these dates in yer calendar! 

  Days of Giving Thanks 

There will be no playschool on November 22 -23, so that we may all have the space to gather, share traditions, ritualize, and Give Thanks with our

Dear Ones n' Beloveds.  

  Winter Solstice & Yuletide Break  

Playschool will be on our annual Winter Solstice and Yuletide break

December 17~Decemeber 25th.

Regular playschool schedule resumes Wednesday December 26th. 

Featured Artisan Crafter of the Month 

Our monthly newsletters now includes a Featured Artisan Crafter of the Month section. This is where I will feature and give platform to marginalized individuals whose work I am inspired and enlivened by. Folks who are dear to my heart fer one reason er another. Folks who are creating art, music, crafts, tools, etc. that actively challenges social paradigms and norms. Links to their work n' markets will always be included.

Please do support them in their life works if'n ye be able.

I met this month's featured crafter at Echoes in Time this Summer and found a fellow soul who has developed a practice around road kill scavenging, bone crafting, and blending death into every day life....

Necessary Tools are magical offerings made from scavenged animal bones, rocks, fur, bullet casings, and other found objects from rivers, roadways, and forests. All bones and teeth are collected and processed naturally, and handmade into adornments by scavenger, forest creature, and solitary witch Kristnh Freestone. 

Bio:

I am an adornment maker, scavenger, forager/gatherer, and beginner hide tanner in Portland, OR. I've made jewelry all of my life, and graduated with a BFA in Metalsmithing from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. These days my craft is focused on collecting and processing roadkill for bones, teeth, and hides, exploring the destructive places where four and two legged creatures meet, and offering life beyond a roadside death. 

Find them on Instagram @ https://instagram.com/necessary.tools

And on Etsy @ https://www.etsy.com/shop/necessarytools

Follow Our Days on Social Media

Liking and following our social media pages is a great way to keep up on the work, play, and learning of our playschool days. You can find us on Instgram and Facebook, sharing sweet moments and practices, as well as real time playschool updates. Go find us! 

Baby Z; recent Fall afternoon leaf explorations

It's Tuition Time! 

Please do remember to send in November tuition no later than the 3rd day of the month <3 

That's it for this month friends! 

May our days together be full

of play, adventure, and connection.