Earth Week at MCH: Small Moments, Shared Care

Earth Week at MCH is a chance to bring our attention back to something simple: how we take care of what’s right in front of us.

Across the school, that showed up in all kinds of ways. Our toddlers spent time planting seeds and visiting the elementary classrooms to check in on the growing chicks, returning again and again to something very real and alive. In Early Childhood, students created art from recycled materials, practiced sorting compost, recycling, and trash, and spent time on the Nature Trail noticing and appreciating the world around them. There were scavenger hunts, nature art, and shared conversations about how to care for the Earth.

In the elementary programs, the work deepened in different directions. Lower Elementary students made seed paper from scraps and spent time nature journaling, while Upper Elementary students studied food webs in a hands-on way. They headed out to the trail to identify plants and look for evidence of consumers in the ecosystem, building toward their own understanding of how everything is connected. Even P.E. reflected the theme, with hikes, seasonal noticing, and games that brought the food web to life through movement.

In the middle of the week, Treehouse Master, Pete Nelson visited to speak with Early Childhood and Elementary students. He shared stories about building treehouses and what it means to create in a way that works with nature, not over it. It was a powerful reminder that doing what you love and caring for the Earth can go hand in hand.

And then there was Saturday at Evergreen Retirement Community, where all of it came together.

Children spread out across the campus with purpose. They washed cars, swept porches, and pulled stubborn English ivy until they were sweaty and proud. Parents worked alongside them, building garden beds and planting vegetables that residents will be able to harvest in the months ahead. The campus looked beautiful by the end of the morning, thanks in part to the generosity of our parent community. What stays with me is everything that happened in between.

One resident played his ukulele while children planted flowers around him, telling stories about where he had learned each song. Another shared that her own children had attended Montessori schools and how meaningful it felt to see that spirit show up again in her home. One woman told us her car had not been washed since the last time we visited a year ago, her eyes filling with tears as students carefully cleaned it.

There were so many smaller moments that carried just as much weight. A resident named Bob, a Navy veteran, joked with staff as they cleaned his deck railing, keeping everyone laughing while insisting no spot be missed. Nearby, Joy and Barbara met for the first time while walking together, quickly connecting over their shared roots in California and Barbara’s new garden. Inside, residents gathered near the student artwork display by the dining hall, lingering and talking about it together while waiting for dinner.

In another courtyard, Bruce and Anne, who met after moving to Evergreen, watched as flowers and vegetables were planted in their shared space, clearly delighted. There were reunions with familiar faces and new conversations sparked, including one with a resident from Sweden eager to talk about Montessori because her grandchildren attend a Montessori school there.

There were songs, art projects, laughter, and quiet conversations. Nothing forced. Just people showing up for each other.

In a world where older adults can too easily feel forgotten, this day moves in the opposite direction. It creates space for connection that is immediate and real. Our children bring energy and presence. Residents respond with stories, humor, gratitude, and care. There is a natural reciprocity to it. No one names it, but everyone feels it.

That same spirit carried through the week.

We spent time noticing “glimmers,” small moments that remind us what is good and worth paying attention to. There were many of them in classrooms, on the playground, out on the trail, and especially at Evergreen.

We live in a world that can feel volatile and loud. At the same time, we are part of a community that continues to show up with care, generosity, and a grounded sense of hope.

That is something we are building together, day by day.