Fundraiser Highlights by Conrad

A special thanks to all of those who came to the fundraiser, it truly was a special experience. The fundraiser is more than a way to help fund our program. For us Mariposans, it's a chance to step outside our role as child care providers and share our personalities with the families. It's also an opportunity for families to get to know each other outside of being just parents. I imagine for many of you that's an opportunity the comes fairly rarely.

In any case, if you didn't get to come, here's what you missed!

 The prizes (they were numerous).

A letter from Amelia

The first few months of school have whizzed by. Our Mariposa Kids settled nicely into our routine, and we have had some great times together. As it has been the case for years now  our crew has grown and changed enormously over the last little while. Somethings, however, remain the same, for example the audible happiness exuded when our crew gets together. It is a very special thing.  For me it is especially reassuring and nice  to look around and see so many smiling faces, big and small. Mariposa Kids is in many ways my baby growing up and stepping out into the world. And as any parent watching their little one venture off I felt all of the following: anxiety, hope, fear, jubilation, moments of awkward confusion and a lot of pride.

Working with children is a dynamic working environment for adults. If you don’t know what I mean spend an afternoon with us and you soon will. Mariposa Leaders are asked to put on many hats in the course of an afternoon.  This fact makes our Mariposa Leaders feel all the more magical to me. We have so many amazing and passionate people spending time and creating relationships with Mariposa Kids, and this good positive energy of people being with children is working. For example, my ego aside, I love seeing the kids upon exiting the school breeze past me and into the arms of Paola, Conrad, Danny or any of our other Mariposa Leaders. This is what it is suppose to be.

After school is about caring for your children, and providing a safe space to learn and grow and stretch, run, and have fun.  But, if I am going to be really honest with you Mariposa Kids is about so much more. At the core of it, there is a seed of revolutionary learning, to create a healthier, more creative and peaceful world. My hope is that this revolution will be led by children who  can know in their hearts that each of us do indeed CARE for them and RESPECT them and are their to SUPPORT them.

For some this might not seem like such a big deal, but in a world where we spend more money on bombs than on education, and where the murders of urban youth is so rampant that it is the norm-  I say it is absolutely a big deal. No matter how hard we as parents try we cannot shield from

our children the scary truths facing our society. Children are always watching and trying to make sense of the world around them. They are by nature perceptive creatures.

To actively show children, that despite so much evidence to the contrary, there are people in their community (outside of their families) who do truly love and care for them, and value their ideas, I believe is a radical revolutionary act.

I strongly believe that the Mariposa Kids Community Project is such a place, and I am eternally grateful for all of it. For the opportunity to be there, to watch it grow, and in turn grow myself;  to meet so many wonderful people, big and small who make this experience what it is.  I invite you all to come and hang out for an afternoon, participate, have fun, share your expertise, and I promise that you will, along with tired, feel a deep sense of optimism. Kids have that effect.

Halloween Highlights

It was a whirlwind of fun, fear and lots of hard work! Halloween at Mariposa is always a special occasion and we'd like to thank all of the staff, kids and families that contributed to this year's amazing haunted house/carnival. Here are some photo highlights courtesy of professional photographer Kimberly Needham (let us know if you want to get a hold of her!)

Week 7 and The Sign

Here are a few highlights from week 7!

 Lookout crew!

 Things are getting scary in Witches

 Devi, professional box-car driver

 Peace out bro!

 Charlie tosses the old pigskin around.

 The Halloween part is around the corner and Riona is helping prepare.

 Grabbing a lift.

 Chef Jeremy is back in action...

 ...and our hummus was delicious!

 Breaking out the costumes!

Cool as a cucumber.

The Evolution of the Sign

Some of you may have noticed a big board in the corner of our main room. It's become a bright addition to our space and it came about through democratic means. Each week, Kids Council met and, with the facilitation of Gailey, discussed how best to paint the sign. There was debate over how it should look, what colors it should have, and so forth. And here is how it happened!

Tents, Signs and a Staff Shout Out

The past few weeks have been busy! We've celebrated some birthdays, learned some great outdoors skills and so much more. Here's a small slice!

 Riona, Hannah, and Edie help paint our new sign!

 Finley... what?

 Aldo and August check out the tent.

Shelby expresses herself at kids' council.

Staff Spotlight

 Mike Murphy

Eco-education at its finest

We're very fortunate to work with Mike Murphy, our eco-educator extraordinaire. We've always been fond of the world around us here at Mariposa, and we're excited at all of the programming Mike has brought to our community. Here's a sneak peak:

 Our worm bin for composting!

 Fungus among us... for pizza!

Mike has been using great activities to teach us about ecology and our surroundings. He's been a great resource and we're lucky to have him on board.