Frog Pond Honors Giant Oak

To the gentle beat of a frame drum played by founder Pam Tinker, the Frog Pond Learning Center family processed to the stately 200-year-old Giant Swamp Chestnut Oak, also known as Grandmother Oak Tree.

Last month, the children honored Grandmother Oak Tree at Frog Pond’s annual tea party. The event not only celebrates the giant tree, but nature itself and the inter-play of human beings and the earth.

Established in 1998, Frog Pond is an early learning center that serves working families with young children. Frog Pond’s philosophy emphasizes the care and reverence for all living things. Children as young as 18 months old have plenty of room to run and play and share living and breathing space with chickens, goats, frogs and toads on the two-acre property.

 “We have an outdoor classroom now and plan a second one,” said Tinker, who believes that children should explore the great outdoors.

It is that very philosophy that attracts parents to Frog Pond. Jayant Das said of Nikhil, his very energetic four-year-old, “Niki loves it here. He is very physically active and here he has space to run. Even in winter, they are allowed to go outside and play.”

Frog Pond is located adjacent to the entrance to Huntley Meadows Park. Both giant oaks that flank the park’s northern boundary are on Fairfax County’s big tree registry, but Grandmother Oak Tree is the biggest in the county.

The children sang about trees that “give shade to the people of the world,” as guitarist Herb Tyson led the gathering in song.

Tyson explained that he has been coming to sing at this tea party for so many years that many of the children who once sat at his feet are now in high school.

After the singing, the family gathered to share a light meal consisting of two main dishes of which were prepared by the children themselves. The older children (called frogs) helped prepare egg salad, and the younger children (called, naturally, tadpoles) aided in preparing hummus. Complementing the meal were fresh strawberries and lemonade. This was hearty fare for the children who had also worked hard making the invitations for the event.