I am embarrassed to admit it, but ever since moving back to Minnesota from California eight years ago, the change in seasons catches me by surprise.

Grandpa Al would have been there. The first day of school took on new meaning for the last ten of Al’s 97 years. He’d have been there to greet our students on their first day of school and for every event to follow. He was our first grandpa at All Seasons, the pioneering senior who said “yes” to being a regular reader to our first group of children in 2009.

It’s that busy, eventful, happy/sad time of year again, when teachers, children, and their families celebrate endings, say good-bye for now, and anticipate what is coming next. As a new-ish program – All Seasons Preschool of Eagan is finishing its third year – we are especially sensitive to these tender transition times.

Lately I’ve been realizing what an essential role celebrations and rituals play in creating a close community, especially as we are just beginning to grow. As an intergenerational program, the seniors at Lexington Pointe are an integral part of those emerging rituals.

The more we get to know the seniors who live upstairs at Lexington Pointe as unique individuals, the more we learn about their talents, interests, histories, and life experiences. Knowing each of the grandmas and grandpas in this way gives the children and teachers fresh opportunities to connect with them.

A crackling fire may remind you of fall and winter’s chill, but I will always associate it with spring. My father was a first-generation immigrant from Iran. Some of my favorite holidays are the spring holidays I learned to celebrate from my father and his side of the family.

There are many different philosophies about how to teach preschoolers, which is why every preschool is a little different. Many preschools use a thematic curriculum, meaning the theme or topic that the group learns about is chosen

The more we observe children’s play, the more we see a certain recurring theme: pretending to be animals. I remember this type of play fondly from my own childhood, and I’m delighted to see children playing the same way I did despite all the changes in society and technology.

Children’s minds are bottomless vessels of creativity, full of adventure, wonderment, fears, wishes, and magic. This is easy to see in their questions, their play, the way they dress, and even their day-to-day activities.

Building bridges between the preschoolers and the senior residents happens in a myriad of ways. Children act out storybook plays, build sugar cube castles, shake percussion instruments while singing, play seasonal BINGO

In this day and age, when electronic entertainment is easily accessible, “best toys” lists are abundant, and families are busy running here and there, one of the best fine motor

In the Winter Room at Inver Glen, with the toddlers, we have a fish tank. Since the beginning of the year, we’ve sometimes found toys at the bottom of it at the end of the day.

Think about the last time you made a meal for someone. Hopefully the food you prepared was appreciated and enjoyed by the ones eating it. When serving that meal, did