Another Trip Around the Sun

Yesterday, the Earth completed another quiet trip around the sun, and so did I. There is something grounding about that thought. No matter how busy life feels, the orbit continues. Another year, another layer of growth, another chance to become.

Birthdays are fascinating. Some adults celebrate loudly, some stretch them into weeks, while some quietly pretend they have stopped counting. But for children, birthdays are pure magic. They measure time, they mark development, they are proof of becoming. At Acton, we pause to honor that becoming with intention.

One of my favorite traditions began in our school’s very first year in 2020. A Guide brought a beautiful bouquet of flowers for a six-year old learner’s birthday. She was king and I remember asking, “Are we ready to do this for every learner?” It was generous, it was loving, we celebrated, and once something feels that meaningful you don’t undo it. That began our tradition and as our school grew, so did the tradition.

Today, every learner, no matter their age, receives something grown from the Earth on their birthday.  When the garden is in full bloom, learners step outside and select their own bouquet and place flowers carefully into a mason jar. In colder months, learners may choose a propagated plant, a succulent or a small potted herb. It is beautiful but what is more beautiful is when we hand a learner their jar, plant, or bouquet and we tell them the why behind this tradition:

At Acton, we give you something grown from the Earth to represent your growth with our school family as we grow together. Every year you grow at Acton is another year we grow on Earth together.

Growth here is not just academic, it is personal, communal, lived.

In Spark Land, our youngest learners celebrate with the Montessori tradition of Walking Around the Sun. A candle burns in the centre as the sun. The months stretch outward like rays. The birthday learner holds a small globe and walks once around for each year of life while learners sing:

The Earth goes around the Sun each year and now (learner name) is one…

They walk again and again until they reach their current age. Learners share what they could do at one, two, three, four. When they arrive at their new year the group offers well wishes and the learner often shares a goal for the year ahead. Every child waits eagerly for their birthday turn.

In Discovery, the tradition shifts. Learners bring photos from each year of their life, they tell stories, and they reflect on who they are becoming. They share well wishes and this year learners started the new tradition of writing birthday letters––small notes of encouragement and joy. It is tender, thoughtful, deeply human.

What I love most is that while the plant remains our grounding symbol––growth from the Earth, growing together––each studio shapes the tradition in a way that reflects the developmental stage of its learners. In Spark Land, celebration is concrete and embodied. They walk, they count the years, they feel time in their steps. In Discovery, celebration becomes reflective. Learners curate memories, tell stories, and choose how they want to be known. The roots stay the same yet the expression matures. As leaners grow so does their ownership of how they celebrate. I cannot wait to see wha traditions our future Adventure Studio will create.

One lesson I’ve learned is this: be careful what traditions you start because once something becomes meaningful it must be repeated. That is how this parent newsletter began. In Fall 2020, a parent asked for more communication––a weekly newsletter. I reluctantly rose to the occasion. What began as a request has become a rhythm I now cherish and a way to connect you more deeply to your child’s Acton world.

Tradition shapes culture, culture shapes memory, memory shapes identity.

On the heels of another year around the sun, I invite you to reflect with me…

How do you celebrate birthdays in your home––are they big and boisterous or small and meaningful?

As a child, what birthday moment do you still remember?

What do you think your child will remember most––the gifts or the gathering? 

How might the traditions you practice today quietly shape who your child is becoming?