- 8:30am Arrive at school
- 8:45am snack time!
- 9:00am head out onto the trails!
- While we are out, we allow the kids to determine the pace. Some kids want to go slower and look at the ground or the sky, others are faster and want to feel the wind in their face. We encourage every child to follow their own pace for the day. As teachers, we view how each individual child is feeling for the day and meet them where they are and support them in their own journey. For safety reasons, we always keep every child in our eyesight, and we tell them “you have to be able to see one of the teachers.” We typically have a destination (one of our many “camps” you might hear about from you kiddos), where we set up for the kids to play, explore, and eat their lunches. There is no rushing to get the kids to our destination though. Part of the day is enjoying the journey and paying attention to what is around us.
- During this time, we reflect in our nature journal about what we feel, hear, see, taste, and smell that day.
- 12:00ish head back to Ms. Ashley’s house
Each day we practice gratitude
We are grateful for the beauty that surrounds us. We are grateful for the land that we get to play and grow on. We are grateful for all living things. We are grateful for our experiences and so much more. What are you grateful for today?
Each day we immerse ourselves in nature
Unstructured free play in nature gives children the gift of creating a deep connection with the natural world and themselves. Every day we will observe and learn about our environment. We will learn about the seasons, the flora and fauna around us with all of our senses.
Each day we are free
Inspired by the Cedarsong Way: “Children are free to pursue their interests, free to move their bodies, free to follow their rhythms, free to share their feelings, and free to be themselves. In this freedom, the children notice their differences, and those differences are good. They are free to enjoy their childhoods wrapped in nature, peace, joy, and discovery.” -Laura Whittaker
Each day we play
Through play children discover who they are as a part of a group. They discover how to express their boundaries, they discover empathy, they discover the feeling of team work, they learn how to communicate, they learn how to listen to each other, they discover the beauty of patience and they are given the chance to just be and have fun! The social emotional learning that occurs between 2-5 can have a life long impact.
Each day we take risks
Letting children take risks gives them a chance for self discovery. Children know exactly what their body needs! They just need a chance to practice it. It is truly amazing to observe a child trying to master something. They work on it day after day. Each day they start to figure it out and then one day they do it and they say with so much pride “I did it!”
Each day the children learn through inquiry based teaching.
Children are incredible! They are constant observers of their world and are also always listening. Asking open ended questions increases their critical thinking skills, builds their self confidence and puts them in charge of their learning.
Ms. Ashley: “How do you think the mountains and hills were formed?”
Quinn: “By people.”
Ms. Ashley: “People made this hill?”
Quinn: “No, people made this trail. Earth made the mountains and the hills.”
Ms. Ashley: “Do these hills and mountains ever change?”
Quinn: “Yes every season, you know winter, spring, summer and fall.”
Dancing Cranes Nature Play School 