Introduction
It started as a brisk morning at Ithaca Children’s Garden (ICG), with all of us – staff and children alike – bundled up in hats and gloves, but it quickly warmed up under the sun’s persistent attention. For the first time in a few days, the sun broke through the gray mat of clouds, and the layers peeled off as Playful Nature Explorers transitioned to the Hands-On Nature Anarchy Zone.
As I stood in the Hands-On Nature Anarchy Zone, a smorgasbord of items and experiences awaiting creative young minds in the Ithaca Children’s Garden, my attention was drawn to Keith, a Playful Nature Explorer, gazing determinedly at the climbing web. I was following the preschool children to take photos, and Jason had just constructed the newest attraction for the kids: a rope climbing web strung up on wooden posts.
It was an immediate hit: numerous toddlers swarmed it, but after a time, the novelty faded, and their attention turned elsewhere. That’s when Keith stepped up.
I didn’t realize it then, but Keith’s decision would soon become pivotal for him and me.
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