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Neighboring Tree Project

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The Neighboring Tree Project (NTP) is an AWS initiative that aims to create community partnerships with our "neighboring trees," i.e. local early childhood educators, schools and centers who are doing the important work of caring for children from underserved, migrant farming or inner-city backgrounds. In building these relationships, we are working collaboratively to bolster the programming offered, taking individual needs and current staff into consideration. The goal is to empower our neighbors with tools and pedagogical enrichment. 


We also hope to learn: we want to get to know our neighbors, the children and families in our region, and learn from whatever is brought to the group together. The forest offers nutrients to all its trees, and one tree shares with another for mutual health of the whole.


Read on to learn about our first two endeavors, Agri-Business Child Development in New Paltz, NY and Meagher Pre-K in Kingston, NY.


Agri-Business Child Development (ABCD), New Paltz, NY, offers early childhood education for 3-5 year olds of farm workers and other eligible families. Language instruction is bilingual and the children are predominantly Latinx. 


Acorn Waldorf School teacher, Elia Gilbert, initiated an outdoor education component with ABCD teachers beginning in late summer 2020 and is collaborating with and mentoring teachers as they extend their program to a meadow and forest adjacent to the school.  


A song for getting dressed for outdoor play, co-created by ABCD teachers and Elia Gilbert...



Little Squirrel with his coat so brown


Quite the loveliest in woodland town


Two bright eyes look 'round to see


Where the finest nuts may be.


Snappity, crackitty,


Out it fell!



Ardilita con su piel cafe


La mas linda de su vendindad


Dos ojitos buscan encontrar


Los mejores nueces al despertar


Rompe, rompe


Y se cae!

"Learning about nature-based play has been an eye-opening experience. In a world where children tend to be surrounded by so much, one realizes that all children need to learn and grow is the freedom and encouragement to safely explore the world around them".


- Lisa, ABCD Teacher




Meagher Pre-K, Kingston, NY, opened its doors in the Fall of 2019 for classes, including a dual-language program. 


Acorn Waldorf School teacher and director, Motria Shuhan, began collaborating with Meagher in the summer of 2020 to create a forest program in a wooded lot adjacent to the school. Teachers have visited AWS and Motria has worked on site to support teachers as they venture outside with their three and four-year-olds.





“We were in the forest and the children all started yelling that they saw a squirrel, some for the very first time! As they are getting used to being there, they are helping each other with whittling and finding that perfect stick!”


- Meagher teacher


“Two students were working together to lift a branch, then called over to more friends to help.

All four of them were talking about team working and saying they could do it.” 



“A student was struggling to climb up a hill. Almost all the other students came back and re-climbed the hill with her. 

They cheered her on and climbed next to her to show her she could do it.” 


- Meagher Teachers share about how the forest is impacting the children’s play.




AWS continues to look for opportunities to collaborate with local early childhood education programs. To become part of NTP, please contact Director Motria Shuhan at motria@acornws.org

Introducing the Neighboring Tree Documentary!

By Neighboring Tree Project • 19 Feb, 2022
We are excited to share a new documentary about the work the Neighboring Tree Project did with a neighboring Head Start and the creation of an outdoor forest program for the children in their care. 🌿 Over the past months, Elia Gilbert , one of Acorn's kindergarten teachers, has been working with the Agri-Business Child Development Center team of educators to produce a 30 minute video which documents their collaborative process in creating an outdoor forest program for the children in their care. We hope this will inspire future Neighboring Tree Project collaborations, as well as other Waldorf educators to reach out to their neighbors in similar ways. We are now looking for more "branches" to our NT P work, as well as more Waldorf teacher people-power to work on the ground with our neighbors. After seeing the video and getting a sense of our work, please get back to us with any inspirations or feedback. We'd like to hear from our community! We hope you enjoy this film!

Help Us Celebrate Our 10 Year Anniversary!

By motria • 01 Jun, 2021
Let's Celebrate Together! Acorn Waldorf School is celebrating its 10 Year Anniversary! We began this wondrous journey with 8 intrepid families who took a chance on a tiny new program and, with their support and the support of so many families in the decade since, have grown into a vibrant center for Waldorf Early Childhood Education in the Hudson Valley. I can’t think of a better way to mark this auspicious moment in our school’s biography than making a meaningful contribution to the Sunbridge Institute Diversity Fund . During the entire month of June, for each donation to the Sunbridge Institute Diversity Fund, Acorn will give another $25. In the line where it asks, " My connection to Sunbridge is? " Please write " AWS 10 Year Anniversary ". Our hope is to inspire at least 50 individual donations but we will happily go above and beyond! If you or your family has benefitted from, enjoyed or simply appreciate what’s happening at Acorn, please consider joining me in support of this all important endeavor. This wonderful fund supports BIPOC individuals in the Sunbridge Institute Waldorf teacher education programs, creating a more diverse pool of Waldorf teacher education graduates who will be fully prepared to take on educational and leadership roles in Waldorf classrooms and schools. We are grateful and awed by Acorn’s continually star-strewn journey. May the next ten years continue to be blessed. Together we can make a difference! 🧡

Looking back with deep gratitude...

By motria • 27 Dec, 2020
We made it to the New Year, still smiling and thriving! What an amazing feat was accomplished, against all odds and all in the service of the children. Together and as a community we worked to keep our school, vibrant and safe. We are grateful... To our devoted Teachers, who showed up each day, turned on a dime when needed, all the while keeping the children embraced in the warmth of love and rhythm, supported one another through professional & personal trials, and all the while staying cheerful and loving… THANK YOU 🧡 To our stellar Health Team, who made tough decisions, were available to us all at all hours of the day and night, ready to solve, listen and guide us through stormy weather… THANK YOU 💜 To our supportive Parents, who stayed committed to the school, met each week, trusted and supported their teachers, worked on and showed up for the heart driven festivals that warm school life and brought their children to us each day… THANK YOU 💛 And finally... To the little children , who remain delighted, joyful and earnest. THANK YOU ❤️
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