Why We Read (Every Day)

Happy Spring!

Reading together is a big part of our days. Since the very first day of school, the children have come to expect and look forward to our daily read-aloud during lunch. It has become an important part of our routine — gathering together to eat, listen to a story, and often pause to chat about what’s happening in the book.

Sometimes there’s a misconception that reading to children is mainly important for those who are just learning to read, but being read to has value for children of all ages and stages. Even confident readers benefit from listening to stories. It creates a shared experience, introduces richer language and ideas than children might encounter on their own, and allows them to settle into the rhythm of a story simply for the joy of it.

When children listen to a story, they step into someone else’s experience for a while. As psychologist Peter Gray writes:

“Empathy is believed, by many psychologists, to be the biological foundation for morality. To empathize is to see the world, to some degree, from another person’s point of view and to experience, at least partly, what that person is experiencing. Sensing and in some way feeling the sadness or fear of another person is a first step toward wanting to help that person, and feeling the joy of another is reward for helping to bring that joy. Even infants show a primitive form of empathy, for example, when one cries in response to another’s crying. As children develop, their capacity for empathy can either grow or atrophy depending on conditions, and it can develop along various lines, also depending on conditions. One set of conditions that may play a crucial role in the growth of empathy consists of the stories that children hear or, later, read.

Fritz Breithaupt (2011), a specialist in German literature, has suggested that fiction is a powerful vehicle for the development of empathy because the listeners (or readers) automatically identify with one or more of the story’s characters. In identifying, the listener experiences vicariously the sorrows, joys, fears, triumphs, defeats, and ethical conflicts of the protagonist—and maybe those of the antagonist, too. So, immersion in a story can be a continuous exercise in empathy. We not only learn what each Little Pig or Harry Potter does, but we also feel something of what they would feel if they were real. The listener cannot act within the story and affect the outcome, but can experience the emotions and reflect on those emotions.”‍

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🍁Enrollment is Open for Fall 2026–2027!‍

We’re so happy to share that enrollment for the upcoming school year is now open. We're looking forward to welcoming both new and returning families into our community.

Beginning this fall, we’re also introducing a sliding scale tuition model to support families facing financial barriers. Creating an accessible and inclusive community is important to us.

Check out our NEW website for more details:
www.cedarwoodcommunity.com‍

We also have limited spaces available this spring. If you’re considering Cedarwood for your child, we would love to connect.‍

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‍🌲Family Stay & Play ‍

Our next Stay and Play is Friday, April 17th, 1pm - 3pm‍

Once a month, we’ll be opening up our space on a Friday for a relaxed, child-led afternoon in the forest. This is a time for families to come play in nature, and connect with others.

Our Stay & Play is open to all families with children of any age, and it’s completely free to join.

If you’d like to attend, please email us to sign up.

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📚Cedarwood Community Book Club
We’re excited to share our next book club selection: The Gardener and the Carpenter by Alison Gopnik.

Alison Gopnik is a developmental psychologist, philosopher and professor at UC Berkeley, and a leading voice in how we understand children’s learning and development. Her work invites us to see children not as unfinished adults, but as capable, curious learners who make sense of the world in their own thoughtful ways.

In The Gardener and the Carpenter, Gopnik challenges the idea that parents and educators are meant to “shape” children into specific outcomes. Instead, she offers the metaphor of a gardener – someone who creates the conditions for growth, allowing children to develop in their own unique and unpredictable ways. The book explores the importance of care, connection, and environment in childhood, and what it means to support children as they grow.

Join us for our first gathering on Sunday, April 12th at 3:00pm, where we’ll be discussing the first half of the book. ‍

Space is limited, email us to sign up.‍

From the forest,

Laura & Brigitte