Each September, the artists of the South End open their studios and present their creations to the general public and Stepping Stones opens its doors to display the wide variety of media used by our own creative young artists. Teachers and children develop displays and story boards that highlight the PROCESS art that students engage in daily and on Friday night, all day Saturday and half-day Sunday, our program is open for all to tour and marvel at the broad variety of media used with children!

Parents enjoy daily images of their children at work through the use of the BrightWheel app but don't have the inside scoop about why these engagements are created, what is being observed and how the children's play serves as the foundation for extended skill-building. We encourage both parents and other interested adults to enjoy a beverage and snack with us they view a slide presentation featuring a running commentary of the methodologies represented in the photos and how developmentally appropriate practices are applied. The children absolutely love viewing the slide show the day following the event and provide DETAILED discriptions of what happened in each photo!

Reliving the age-old story of "Stone Soup"  where an entire village pools their meager produce to create a feast, the children read/act out the tale of true sharing by making enough soup and homemade rolls to share with all family members (from near and far) at Stepping Stones the Tuesday, noon, before Thanksgiving. Youngsters chop, stir, mash and dice vegetables gathered from families before carefully place the stone they find in the bottom of the pot to commence the soup.

In celebration of winter's solstice, all families gather around the firepit on the playground to make stick bread then bring it inside for a chili supper. Children present homemade gifts of "Love and Light" to their families and everyone relaxes before the hustle of the extended season commences.

We are blessed with so many traditions in our world so having family members visit to share their own customs is a loving element of celebrating diversity and gaining understanding of how to respect others in the world around us.

The last, half day before winter recess is a welcome "pajama day" for chidren and staff where everyone comes in jammies, builds one large Polar Express train in the Great Room and settles in to immerse themselves in Chris Van Allsburg's message of "BELIEVE."