Philosophy
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Our program was founded on the philosophy that children need the freedom of movement, self directed exploration, risk taking, discovery and unstructured play in the wider, natural spaces to become healthy, resilient, and independent learners and that this is necessary for learning and development. Fostering rich learning experiences, ecological literacy, and healthy living through the development of their physical body in order to build a strong foundation for emotional and cognitive learning to come. We believe in the importance of building connections through meaningful interaction and consistency as a way to nurture lifelong relationships with others and with the natural world.
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We envision the interviability of children, nature and the community through environmental education that empowers children with a sense of hope, stewardship, and appreciation for the gift of life on earth. In order to provide children with a variety of positive outdoor explorations, we believe in modeling how to tread lightly, and engage safely and respectfully with the local green spaces around us as well the wildlife that inhabits these spaces. We believe that by creating direct, rewarding and nourishing sensory experiences with nature, children will naturally begin to develop strong, loving and meaningful connections to the natural world.
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A child’s sense of wonder and imagination inspires all that we do! Our aim is to understand, respect and entrust children with their own freedom to think, to wonder, to ask and answer their own questions, and discover what it is about the world that makes them come alive.
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Nature as Touchstone
Whether our classroom is under a grove of oak trees or near a creek, or in the meadow, the natural cycles of nature and children’s interests guide our values and support the curriculum we explore with the children.
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One of our core beliefs is to spark and support children’s natural curiosity and powerful sense of imagination and wonder.
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Nature as
Teacher
Agency and the role of nature as co-teacher, the environment not being just the back drop upon which learning happens but an active member in the teaching and learning process.
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This process of learning experiences involves de-centering our human voice and perspective and re-centering the voice of nature - water, plant life, geography and other living things in an effort to come to know the space and ourselves within it.
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Nature as Community
As facilitators, we nurture and guide the relationship between the children and all living things found in Nature: plants, trees, water, animals, minerals, both visible and invisible.
As facilitators, we nurture and guide the relationship between the children and all living things found in Nature: plants, trees, water, animals, minerals, both visible and invisible.
Nature is our model for what a healthy community is. We are a community of individuals and creatures; each of us unique, but equally valued and essential. We each have a voice and have an invaluable part in creating a healthy planet and life.
As a community, we depend on each other and work together to create a space that honors and respects the Earth, each other, and nourishes our children through modeling care for ourselves, each other, and our natural environment.