Ivy Grove of Lexington
Director's Note cozy log • week 7
Read anywhere, dance everywhere, be exactly you ✨
Hi mamas & papas —
Week 7 finally felt like our rhythm.
Books live everywhere now. On the sofa with teddies, on top of the climber, tucked in the quiet corner by the window, even during snack break. We didn't say "time to read" — they just grabbed a book and started.
And dancing lives everywhere too. Inside on the rug, outside with bubbles on the patio, between building a tower and feeding a doll.
This week I watched a child play wild for 20 minutes, then sit down and read quietly by herself for 10. Another explored her carrot puzzle alone, then joined a friend for afternoon tea with the toy coffee machine. Another fed her lovey, tucked it in, whispered "night night."
Wild and quiet, solo and together, reading and dancing — they can be all of it here. That freedom is exactly what we want to protect.
"We grow slowly, like ivy — one book, one dance, one tea party at a time."
Sofa, bears, and three books open 📚🛋️
Our big couch became a reading island. Three friends, legs tucked, teddies as bookends, each with a different book. Pointing at pictures, turning pages at their own pace, sometimes reading to each other without words. This is what a reading habit looks like at two: cozy, self-chosen, and snuggled next to a friend.
Even the climber is a library 🧗♀️📖
Top-down view of pure magic: books open inside the ball pit, on the blue mats, leaning against the climber pole. One child with a teddy bear as a reading buddy, another upside down with an "I can read!" book. When books are everywhere, you read everywhere. Even on a climbing frame.
A quiet nook and a book all to herself 🌿
Sunlight from the window, a low bookshelf bench, a pink bunny tucked beside her. She sat there for a long time, turning pages slowly, mouthing words. No rush, no performance. Just a child choosing quiet. The ability to be alone with a book is a superpower we are growing gently.
Bubbles, chalk, and dancing feet outside 🫧
Patio dance party broke out. Chalk hopscotch on the stones, bubbles floating everywhere, toy cars parked like an audience, teacher dancing in the back. Some spun, some chased bubbles, some did tiny jumps in pink crocs. Inside we dance on the rug, outside we dance under the umbrella. Same joy, different sky.
My own work, my own pace 🥕
Top-down quiet. One child sorting carrots and peppers, focused on her carrot box. Another with a LeapFrog book, stylus in hand, teddy bear keeping the table company. Side by side but in their own worlds. Independent exploration is not lonely — it is deep. They can be alone together, and love it.
Two friends, one coffee machine, serious business ☕️
The wooden coffee machine had a line all week. One barista, one very patient customer resting her chin on her hand, waiting for her tiny cup. Pour, sip, "mmm!" Then swap roles. Having afternoon tea together is how two-year-olds practice friendship, waiting, and the art of a good chat.
Feeding lovey, tucking lovey, loving lovey 💛
Left: Spoon in hand, feeding her doll with so much care, yellow bowl of wooden fruit and fish. Right: Holding her teddy close while her own bowl of play veggies waits. They feed their loveys, tuck them in, pat their backs, whisper night night. When you care for a lovey, you practice caring for everyone.
Sandbox, shovels, and a unicorn ride-on 🏖️🦄
The sandbox was buzzing. Three friends scooping sand, pouring with cups, blue shovels in hand. Unicorn ride-on parked front and center, purple car and water table in the back, bubbles still floating from earlier. Wild, messy, completely free. They can play with abandon outside, then walk inside and read quietly. Both are welcome, both are needed.