The Garden Remembers

Friends,

This week was a little different.

Summer camp brought back many of our Tree Sprites alumni. Some had only been gone a few weeks, others nearly a year. As they wandered through the garden, I found myself smiling as much at what they remembered as at what they discovered.

“I remember this.”

“Blackberry had babies?!”

“Coconut!”

“Oh...the grapes!”

The garden had become a collection of memories waiting to be revisited.

One of the first places many of the children stopped was Coconut, our Angora rabbit. She greets everyone each morning as they make their way down the stairs into the garden, and it didn’t take long before old friends were kneeling beside her again.

Normally, Coconut lives within her little boundary. If she had her way, she’d spend every waking hour wandering through the food forest, nibbling whatever looked interesting. Depending on the group of children, though, that isn’t always the best idea. Some weeks she enjoys the safety and predictability of her own little corner.

This week felt different.

The children already knew how to move through the garden. They knew how to slow down. They remembered how to approach the animals with gentle hands and quiet voices. So Coconut spent time this week freely wandering alongside us, stopping to nibble here and there while children followed along, delighted to have an old friend back in the garden.

It reminded me how much of Tree Sprites lives in rhythm rather than rules.

The children remembered waiting for grapes that weren’t quite ripe yet, and asking before taking the ones that were ready.

They remembered kale popsicles made from our tree kale.

They noticed the peaches getting bigger but knew they weren’t ready.

They even remembered our little “lantern berries” (aka ground cherries), patiently waiting for the papery lanterns to fall to the ground before opening them to discover the sweet orange fruit hidden inside. They didn’t ask if they could pick them. They already knew the garden would let them know when they were ready.

That’s one of my favorite things about watching children return.

They aren’t just remembering facts.

They’re remembering relationships.

The same was true with our feathered friends. The chickens were carried, fed, and greeted like old companions. New friendships were made, too. We welcomed two little chicks this week, and watching the children gently hold them and whisper to them was one of those quiet moments that reminds me why we do this work.

The animals have never felt like an “activity” here.

They’re simply part of the rhythm of the day.

Just like baking bread.

Just like watering the garden.

Just like waiting for grapes.

Sometimes I wonder if the children remember Tree Sprites because of the things we did together.

Weeks like this make me think they remember something much quieter than that.

They remember how it felt to belong here.

Until next time, friends,

Teacher Todd