GRAND JUNCTION — In the deep shade of a thicket of trees, a cluster of youngsters huddle around a pile of seeds — una pila de semillas — that they have scooped up and patted into a circle with tiny, dirty hands. They are leaving this offering as a snack for squirrels and rabbits.

The kids, who are part of a dual-language preschool program called AmiGOs, have already raced around the lines of gnarled trunks howling like wolves and showering each other with dried leaves they have crushed in their hands and tossed confetti-like into the thin shafts of sunlight that cut through the sycamores and maples.

They have chased grasshoppers and collected sticks.

This “forest” where they are experiencing the magic and interconnectedness of nature is actually a collection of curated trees grown and

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