October 2018

Newsletter

Mabel, Lila, Lorax, Violet, Sibyl; recent field study round the neighborhood

Hey there playschool friendz n folks!

Happy Fall season to ya.

Welcome to the season of

yellow, orange, and red

hands busy with the work of harvest 

geese moving through the skies

puttin them Summer thangs ta bed.

My Summer adventures came to a profoundly potent n' purely delightful close, with the river in my ears, earth beneath me, n' raven n' pine above me. The Fall Equinox Tides were gentle on my heart this year. And I gave them tides so many thanks, fer blessing me so well.

May I stay in good graces with them through the season; 

may I come into the darkness of Winter with a full heart, hearth, n' home. 

Anyhowz, welcome to our 3rd year here at the Moon's Nest Playschool!

This here heart be up in the moon, just thinkin' on all the magic, play, life, n' story that we'll be weaving together this year. We've only just wrapped up our first week of the year together, n' I  can't give enough thanks fer all the special moments we already dun shared.  If you haven't yet had a chance to, please DO head on over n' read the Welcome Letter I sent out a few weeks back. There be important information and details that you'll need to know about fer this upcoming year. 

This year, our play, learning, and adventure will be greatly supported by

Mixter Oren, who most of you have already met this week. This additional teaching support will not only allow the Moon's Nest to offer a Monday ~ Friday schedule, but it will also give me the space to focus more of my time and skillz on program & curriculum development...and perhaps just a bit more time to tend to my personal life too. It's been an adventurous and oh so fulfilling last two years, as I've worn all the hats and built up the foundation of our playschool family, brick by brick, relationship by relationship, with my own two hands and heart. And, I'm looking forward to starting this year with some additional support with all that work. 

So... thanks again to all of you who have trusted n' invested in my practice these last two years, and much gratitude to all of you who will be with us for this next year together. I am ever grateful fer the life magics n' heart medicines we make together. 

Things in da world sure be sharp, n' fiercely these days. Our work together with these small ones sure does help ease the pains n' reminds me that we be actively cultivating the change. With each n' ev'ry day. With each n' ev'ry reminder to be kind and gentle with each other's hearts n' bodies, n' to The Land. 

xo, Miz Flow   ​​

N' dear all the Kauvanaugh's of the world...

Welcome to our Playschool Mixter Oren! 

Beginning this week, Mixter Oren will be leading our Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday friend circles. They will also be semi frequently covering fer me n' leading our Wednesday friend circles when I happen to be out of town n tending to life in those places. 

Thanks fer welcoming them with to our circle this week. I'm confident that they will lead our small ones with as much heart n' luv as they've come to expect here in our nest. 

A bit about their teaching background n' practices...

Oren has been a life-long lover of learning and exploration through creativity and play, and they love to share this passion with others. As a harp musician, filmmaker, puppeteer, herbalist, and astrologer, they naturally enjoy incorporating art, music, theater, science, and nature into curriculum that facilitates children's discovery. Oren has been teaching for nearly ten years at primary schools, art institutions, ESL schools, and universities. They have spent another four years teaching alternative education through nanny work and child tending at

Free Cascadia Witch Camp, Wild Roots Feral Futures, and local communities organizing for social justice. They are excited to grow with the local communities here in Portland, and expand their skill set on Reggio, Anti-Bias, Waldorf, Unschooling, Forest Schooling, and Freeschooling philosophies.

Elliot & Cora; on an afternoon apple forage n' harvest with me

Enrollment Update For 2018-2019 Playschool Year

Violet, Lorax, Lila, Sibyl; Recent study of opossum roadkill, story at over on my Insta

With the shake out of our first week, it looks like we have up to two more spaces available in our Monday, Tuesday, & Thursday friend circles fer either our Moon Flowers (roughly ages 4-6) or Moon Beams (roughly ages 7-9) groups. I'll give preference to families who'd like to add a day fer these spots, but we're also so very welcoming to new friends who'd like to join in on our magic n' play here too. So do refer a friend n' yer friends'll be our friendz!

Moon Blossoms (ages 0-3) : Full fer all days

Wednesday : Full

Friday: Full

Send an mail to moonsnestplayschool@gmail.com to talk about

enrollment fer any of these openings <3 

Portland Town Field Studies Program

*First day of this new program is THIS Saturday, October 6th* 

Starting this Fall, we are offering our adventurous Portland Town Field Study program fer kiddos ages 4 & up. This optional program meets alternating Saturdays from 11 am-3 pm 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. So, secure yerself some precious Saturday morning free time a couple times a month, we're gonna have a ton o fun.  

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

Enrollment into our Portland Town Field Studies Program required for participation. 

Fall season Schedule

Saturday October 6th

Saturday, October 20th

Saturday November 3rd

Saturday November 17th

Saturday December 1st

Saturday December 15th.

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

Contribute to our 2018-2019 Scholarship Fund

Sibyl, Mabel, Elliot, Cora, Baby Z, Violet; afternoon stoopin'

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

October Full Moon Social 

Just a few names this moon is known by: Hunters Moon, Dying Grass Moon, 

Moon Before Hallows, Falling Leaves Moon, Frost Moon, the Gathering Moon.

We'll hold our first Full Moon Social of the year on Saturday October 20th. Doors at 6pm. Grandmother Moon will be in her full moon waters and reach fullness on Wednesday October 24th, so we'll practice the very special work of calling her  into fullness with each other.

It's also the tide of the thinning veil and the time of year when the ancestors and us look towards honoring our shared stories, journeys. and heart space.  

Please bring a potluck dish, songs, spells, and pictures of your ancestors to share. We'll spend the evening nourishing our bodies, singing to the moon, making fire, and weaving stories of our ancestors together. 

All be welcome, bring yer family n' friendz.

And yo Witches, don't ferget to dress in yer finest ritual garb! 

Lorax, Raisa. n' myself; enjoying the dance floor at past year's Every Wednesday Square Dance

Portland Square Dance

The Portland Square Dance season has commenced fer the year!

Join me at the Village Ballroom on Sunday October 21st 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! 

Featured Artisan Crafter of the Month 

Our monthly newsletters will now include 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.

This month, it is my absolute pleasure to introduce you to our first featured artist and my dear friend, tatterhawk. Their  one of a kind craft work is simply gorgeous...

tatterhawk is a falconer, hide tanner, and artisan making their home in the wilds of the pnw, playing with animals and magic and trees. they work largely with materials they've collected and processed themself-- bones they've cleaned, hides they've tanned. the rest comes from recycling and salvage. their craft is centered around the space between life and death. seeing it as a hawk sees it, or a cougar, connecting to death as a force for survival, beauty, vibrance, rather than something to be feared or reviled.

they can be reached on Instagram, @tatterhawk, about teaching and craft, and more information on their work and classes can be found at tatterhawk.com.

Lorax n' Goldenrod; on our recent late summer adventures to Grandmother Ocean

Follow us on Social Media 

Fer those of you who be social media friendly, Instagram is where I share moments that are sweet n' special to me, including my playschool practices.  If'n ya wanna follow more of my adventures from playschool and beyond, that's where to find me. And, we have a dedicated Facebook page just fer the Moon's Nest Playschool too.  

That's it for this month friends! 

May our days together be full

of play, adventure, and connection.