Question 1

How will I know when my child is ready for this program?

Accepted Answer

Our requirements are that children are 3 by September 1st of the year in which they enroll in Early Learning, and that they be out of diapers and need minimal assistance with toileting. Because our program is outdoors with no walls to “catch” children, it is also important that children be able to stay with the group and follow safety guidelines the majority of the time. Our staff are amazing at relating to preschoolers and finding ways to help children follow the safety boundaries. They can keep everyone safe if children have an age appropriate level of:

1. Group orientation – will come to circle on their own some of the time.
2. Impulse control – will not run out into a street after being told.
3. Situational awareness – can see sometimes how their actions affect others.

If your child routinely runs away from you, can not follow safety instructions such as do not go into the street or touch a fire, or has no interest or awareness of their peers, you may want to discuss with a staff member if your child is ready to join our program.

Question 2

How is your program different from other programs?

Accepted Answer

We utilize an interest-based curriculum which allows for each child to learn what they are developmentally ready for in that moment and utilizes what the natural environment has to offer in any given moment (“Oh, look, at the spider!”). Every child develops at a different pace in different areas (physical, mental, social, emotional) and our program allows for individual growth as a whole human.

Question 3

Will my child be ready for kindergarten?

Accepted Answer

We utilize an interest-based curriculum which allows for each child to learn what they are developmentally ready for in that moment and utilizes what the natural environment has to offer in any given moment (“Oh, look, at the spider!”). Every child develops at a different pace in different areas (physical, mental, social, emotional) and our program allows for individual growth as a whole human.

* The art of tracking is the process of looking for changes and using those changes as clues to tell the larger story of the area. People often refer to tracking as looking at foot prints. That is one use, however, it can be used for anything such as the clouds rolling in might mean a storm is coming, or ground being wet means that it has recently rained, etc. Awareness and tracking are really inseparable and we teach both in high doses at nature school.

Question 4

It looks like they are just playing. What are they learning?

Accepted Answer

Children and adults alike learn through play. Play is the most important learning tool for children up to age 7. Through play, children learn social skills, develop their own identity, build self confidence, learn to see things from another person’s point of view (role playing) which develops empathy and compassion, and delve deeply into their unique passions (“Do I like to play teahouse or build airplanes?”).

Through play children learn complex lessons around math and literacy, physics (“when I add water, the mud gets runnier”, “that rock went farther because it was bigger”), biology (“the slug has eye stalks instead of regular eyes like me”, “the spiders die at the end of the summer”) and personal awareness (“I need to take my sweater off because I have been running”, “I am scared, will you help me”).

Yes, the children are playing, but they are learning a wealth of knowledge while they do. The benefit of allowing children to learn while immersed in a forest, is that their learning has real world context. They learn math WHILE learning two different plant species, or they learn physics with water WHILE learning about ecosystems and the bugs/animals that live in muddy water. All this WHILE they learn about their own comfort levels and body cues.

In order to encourage interactive play, we provide our students with unstructured time in nature to explore and have their own wonder-filled experiences with nature.

Question 5

How do you ensure children are safe in the forest?

Accepted Answer

Safety is our highest priority and we are constantly aware of the environment and all changes that are happening including the children’s abilities and energies as well as the weather and location.

Our instructors are specially trained to recognize forest and nature dangers and prevent unnecessary risks while children play in the forest. We teach children to recognize and asses their own safety levels and ensure that the boundaries around their play are clear and followed. Some inherent risk occurs while children play in the forest, however, we feel that this risk is developmentally appropriate and satisfies children’s need for challenge and growth of their physical and emotional selves.

Question 6

Does my child have to be potty trained?

Accepted Answer

Because of our current licensing, we are unable to change diapers. We ask that all children be potty trained before attending our programs.

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