What we do
"How we learn is even more important than what we learn. It is about the relationships we build to ourselves, others, and our environment. And research shows, that happens best through love, play, curiosity, and choice." - Alicia Rose
Nature Connection
We walk along a stream, sniffing moss and collecting lichen for a display by the firepit, checking our field guide for a match for each. We pause and use our "fox feet" as we see a deer munching right in front of us. At the firepit, some students do a STEM investigation about boiling water while other students play in the mud kitchen.
Language
After we sing a fun rhyming song in our meeting, students choose what they want to work on: expanding their vocabulary with miniature objects, practicing initial sounds with an I Spy game, drawing pre-writing shapes in sand, or giddily arranging moveable alphabet letters into something a friend can read.
Practical Life
Coming in for lunch, we practice independence as we remove our outdoor gear ourselves or ask a friend for help. Children help set the table for a meal that other children helped to make. After lunch, the children joyfully wash and sweep. They are respected as full people who take pride in being part of the community.
Cultural Learning
Our literature selection is carefully chosen to counter dominant racial and gender biases and instead highlight the beauty and diversity of our world and human cultures. We also have monthly themes about different places that focus on authentic learning and engagement. Our classroom culture is passionately inclusive and we have open conversations with students about kindness and inclusion.
Mathematics
There are boxes with numbers outside, and a child is filling them with acorns matching the number shown. Another student is using measurements to plan the class garden. Inside, students are using a Pink Tower and math beads to gain a deep intuitive foundation for geometry and algebra. Whether a child is just learning that "two" refers to quantity or is working on adding/subtracting in the 100s, there is content that meets them where they are at each day.
Whole Person Learning
Movement, musical and artistic expression, emotions, listening to your body's needs... These are are all essential to being human and so often neglected in favor of teaching children academic knowledge. Our Montessori and RIE backgrounds allow us to incorporate these seamlessly into our curriculum so that everything we learn is social, embodied, and meanginful.