What is a Menagerie, anyway? At the end of the middle ages, in Europe, the world was drastically changing. Constantinople, a world power, was crumbling. The voyage of Christopher Columbus was revolutionizing European global expanse. Throughout Europe the Protestant Reformation was in full swing. Durning this time, in France, the word menagerie emerged.
It was a time of global upheaval, but for families raising children it was also a time of focusing on community. There was still laughter and joy. It was a period when people grew food and tended chickens.
The problems we are facing today reminds me of those times. I look to the past to see how peoples have survived and thrived in times like this.
In France the word meant, "The management of a household or farm" and "the place where animals are tended."
This Menagerie is exactly that. This is definitely a household and I'm counting the gardens as a tiny farm. I strive for a 50% Eatable Landscape. And, without a doubt, it is "a place where animals are tended".
As the world changed so too did the word. When the English started to use the word 'menagerie' in the 1600s it was to describe the keeping of exotic animals from far off places in elegant enclosures. These enclosures, or exhibits, were meant to most closely mimic the animals natural habitats. Plants and animals were carefully nurtured, much as botanical gardens are today.
Today, the word Menagerie generally means a group of wild animals... specifically, feral children!
Becoming a Daycare
In December 2023 Menagerie Child Care opened. An in home daycare, Menagerie Child Care captures the previous essence of the word and melds the meaning together to fit the child care needs of today.
Early Childhood Education is an ever changing field centered on needs of children before entering kindergarten. Everything about this program is a menagerie - an eclectic mix of learning styles are tailored to each of the individual children's needs.
The premise at the heart of this home daycare is: Every living thing deserves respect and care. This ethos is especially true of the young and growing. And Menagerie Child Care certainly has a variety of plants and animals that all receive the highest quality of tending.
All learning at the Menagerie is done through Play Based Learning. Research shows that all kids learn best through interactive play. Instead of defined lessons, kids at Menagerie Child Care are given the opportunity to play, explore, and discover a wide array of projects and topics. Music, art, gardening, and cooking are some of the opportunities available to the kids. There are daily optional exposure lessons. For the kids who choose not to participate, they are encouraged to Free-Play.
There are multiple, age appropriate stations available to the kids. To name a few, the kids have access to a play kitchen, play-dough center, piano, building blocks, trucks, cars, books, baby dolls, puzzles, flash cards, doll houses and much more.
Aquarium and Humidifiers
Hydration is a vital part of thriving life. As we all know, drinking water is important. There are other important kinds of hydration as well, in this case we use humidity. At Menagerie Child Care there are two different types of humidifiers; active and passive. The active humidifiers are LEVOIT Smart Humidifiers. They work great for keeping the humidity at ideal levels. One of the features of Menagerie Child Care is the passive humidity system. The freshwater Planted Aquariums dotted around the house gently evaporate water into the air. This evaporation hydration system contributes to a calm and inspirational space for kids to explore.
Best of all, the kids get to participate as much or as little as they like in the filling of the humidifiers and maintaining the tanks.
The Fun Continues Outside
Another feature of the Menagerie are the interactive gardens. There's a Natural Playscape where the kids get to arrange, and rearrange a variety of components.
There are Food Forest gardens and decorative gardens, and all of the gardens are for the kids to enjoy. All of outside is a classroom of exploration. The kids get to plant and watch the stages of the seasons.
Our Feathered Friends
No menagerie is complete without a main exhibit. Enter our flock of gardening chickens. While the kids are playing, the chickens are hard at work. The flock at Menagerie Child Care is brand new. The children have loved watching them grow from tiny hatchlings to the yard dinosaurs they are today. The kids get great joy from watching the chickens at work. These pampered beauties live the boujiest life.
Modern Menagerie
The best words to describe this particular menagerie are: crunchy, bougie, and bohemian. This menagerie blends Waldorf and Montessori philosophies to create an eclectic and comprehensive early learning environment. From Aquariums to Aviaries the kids at Menagerie Child Care play and learn at a modern dan menagerie.
The kids play, grow food, collect eggs, feed chickens, make mud-pies, build forts, paint, color, play, eat well, play, and so more! Each day is an adventure.
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