WCM afterschool children help with Play Trail spring cleaning.
Disruption invites creativity--and we have the pandemic to thank for that. While our regular school partners still sort their way forward, Boxerwood educators are busy preparing for another innovative spring. Safely vaccinated, we’re returning this month to the field to meet children’s needs in alternate ways, through a variety of covid-safe programs:
- We’re running a spring version of the very popular Play and Learning Season (PALS), which meets every Friday at Boxerwood for ten weeks. This season’s focus: animal homes and birds.
- We continue to host a daily afterschool program for a dozen other children, who happily play and romp around Boxerwood as part of our partnership with Woods Creek Montessori.
- We’ve re-started weekly nature-connection activities for children enrolled in three afterschool sites run by the Rockbridge YMCA.
- We’ve commenced springtime Hiking Club for Buena Vista girls.
- We’re providing a new series of Saturday programs for families whose children attend Natural Bridge ES and Maury River MS. These grant-funded activities will introduce families to stress-busting R&R activities and outdoor adventures.
- We’re planning several summer camps for children attending two local elementary schools and one middle school, plus weekly Boxerwood visits from Rockbridge YMCA campers--all of it possible by grants we’ve secured.
This year we let go of many of our favorite ways of connecting with youth--but we found innovative ways forward. Just like spring.
PALS looking at the first tiny snake of spring.
