Welcome to Miss Ashley’s Nest

Miss Ashley’s Nest is a new child care center on the North Fork of Long Island with the goal to build community and friendship for both parents and children. Our hope is to make a shared space for community, where adults and children can come together to build everlasting relationships and support for each other.

The freedom to be children.

My mission is to preserve childhood as if it were decades ago, and to create a space where imaginative play and practical work are the foundations of childhood.

In the magical yard at Miss Ashley’s Nest, your children will explore almost an acre of land, and the yard backs up to farm field views looking out for miles. Their days will be filled with art activities, hand work, water play and a chance to stick their toes in mud or sand box. Walking through the flower fields, picking vegetables, baking and cooking from scratch, taking care of the chickens. Children will join together for a circle time and rest under a shady tree.

The Flow of Our Day

  • At Miss Ashley's Nest we will be spending the first half of the day inside and the other half outside. Rain or shine the children will be free to explore and create beautiful play that comes from within them.

    RAIN OR SHINE

  • Our day starts with indoor free play for the first hour. This is where children will develop their imaginations, relationships, and problem-solving skills through creative free play.

    FREE PLAY

  • Our playroom is filled with natural toys that are made of wood, yarn, silk, wool and books.

    INDOOR PLAY

  • While this is happening Miss Ashley has an activity set up the the table. This can be Painting, chopping, baking, coloring, homemade play-dough or creating a seasonal craft. This depends on the day of the week to keep the rhythm predictable for the children.

    MORNING ACTIVITY

  • After morning free play, we model how to tidy our room. Miss Dolly our pop up puppet comes out to say hello and gives each of the children a task to clean up. Every toy has a home where it belongs. The children quickly learn where each toy lives and notice when it is out of place.

    TIDYING UP

  • Once the play things have found their home, cozy sheepskins will come out for a little rest. During rest time lavender fills the air and sweet seasonal lullabies are dancing around the room.

    REST

  • Story time is sprinkled in during rest and snack time. During snack time the children find there assigned chair to sit in, each child has been given a hand made ribbon making it easier to find there way.

    TRANSITION TO SNACK

  • At snack time we start with a finger play, lighting a candle and thanking mother earth for the food she has provided for us. Real life story's are told around the table.

    STORY AND SNACK

  • Each meal is made from scratch prepared by the children and teachers. Some of our meals come from our land at the Nest. Our eggs collected by the children, winter squash has been canned to make into soup. Zucchini grated by the children and pickles pickled. Our snack menu changes year to year.

    OUR MEAL

  • After the children are done with snack they each take turns putting left overs into the compost bowl for the chickens to enjoy. Bowls, spoons and cups will be placed in the wash bucket and during the warm weather we wash the dishes outside. Then get ready to gear up and go outside rain, snow or shine.

    WASHING UP

  • Outside time: We give the children the time and space to dress themselves with our guidance if needed. Once the children are outside we go to the chicken coop to feed them collect eggs and check on the water. The children are free to explore nature, play on the swings, go to the sand island, dig near the mud kitchen, make music or run through the grass.

    OUTSIDE TIME

  • Before it is time to go we gather with song and dance for circle time. Honoring the seasons through movement journeys, finger plays, poems and verses.

    CIRCLE AND GOODBYE

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The Importance of Play

As a Waldorf educator, I understand that a child’s play is the most important part of their school experience. It is their work, and one of the ways they learn about life, in its joys and challenges. Sharing, taking risks, role modeling for each other, problem solving and resolving conflicts are all worked out and explored through play. As teachers, we facilitate their play by offering imaginative ‘pictures’ and opportunities to imitate the work we do throughout the day. As the children grow older, this imaginative faculty develops into the capacity to think and respond with flexibility and creativity.

Our Snacktime

Each meal is made from scratch prepared by the children and teachers. Some of our meals come from our land at the Nest. Our eggs collected by the children, winter squash has been canned to make into soup. Zucchini grated by the children and pickles pickled. Our snack menu changes year to year.

Here’s an example of our nourishing weekly menu:

Monday : Hard boiled eggs and sweet potato fries

Tuesday : Butternut squash soup and apples slices

Wednesday : Apple sauce and yogurt

Thursday : Zucchini and potato pancakes (Fall)

Pancakes and Maple Syrup (winter and spring)

Friday : Seasonal Muffins - berry, zucchini, pumpkin, ginger, carrot

We’d love to welcome you to the Nest!

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