We started the day by collecting “gold coins” that educators noticed on the ground in the drop-off area. We used this opportunity to bring joy to our responsibility of care for the Earth by collecting the littered confetti (aka gold coins). The children were engaged in and excited about this activity for the duration of the drop off period. We were joined in our morning routine by a stick bug and a daddy long leg spider, and each had a role in helping our morning move forward. Once in the forest, all the children jumped right into playing their respective games. Jarrett enjoyed “Monster Under the Bridge”; Charlie drew Leonardo (TMNT); Larkin looked up at the leaves with Kylie; Sammy, Wendell, Miles, and Jarrett found their favorite sticks for the day and agreed on a stick game with set safety limitations. Their respective games blended and separated as play evolved throughout the morning. Larkin was interested in writing her name and wrote an ‘L’ on her paper. Miles wanted to draw a special kind of dog, but wasn’t sure how to draw it. Kylie talked with him about the shapes that he could use to draw the dog. He started with a circle as the body, added lines for legs, circles for eyes and a nose. As we discussed the shapes his confidence grew in drawing the dog.