“The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination”
– Albert Einstein
Are you looking for a way to incorporate nature into your children homeschooling or preschooling?
The beauty of Forest and Nature school is that the children are always growing and learning but on their own terms. We spark curiosities and dive into passions. Immersed in an environment that is filled with wonders, excitements, adventures and the LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES are everywhere!
But SHHH… its a secret! The children are just there having fun, not even realizing the amount of real time learning they are taking in!
EARLY LEARNING
EARLY MATH
Numbers are everywhere and are a natural part of our world. While collecting interesting pieces of nature we may keep count of how many things are in our harvest basket, Or how many tracks are along the path. “Let’s count them all together!” Is a common response to many situations. Simple addition and subtraction are integrated into our daily rhythm.
EARLY HANDWORK
We encourage fine motor skill development through earth-based handwork projects like art, crafts, earth play (mud, clay, sand), we may use natural pieces for letter formation, all offering children the opportunity for creative expression with a variety of materials.
Not all classrooms have four walls
LEARNING FOR ALL
LITERACY
We encourage a child’s love of language through practicing good communication skills, group storytelling, books, rhymes, songs and telling stories with good articulation and vocabulary. We understand that both physical movement and healthy social/emotional learning environments are crucial to a student’s ability to learn to read and write. The current research on early childhood education understands that children who learn to read earlier do not experience higher levels of academic success later on. We focus instead on the child’s relationship with learning itself, which will serve them well for their whole lives.
SCIENCE
Nature is science, and we are immersed in it all, from watching closely to the changing seasons, talking about the weather patterns, Watching and learning about our animals in their natural habitats, the construction/starting/extinguishing/ of fires along with cooking, and even how to make a bark boat float We use many things including tools, carabineers and pulley systems, all allowing the children to construct and problem solve. Experiencing the wild earth with your hands instead of curriculum books puts you in a constant state of learning that they will remember!
For our older programs we also teach them things like reading natures signs, basic remote first aid, water filtering/purifying, tarp configurations for different weather, natural navigation… among many things.
SOCIAL STUDIES
During the programs, integrated naturally are “lessons” about our land, the past, present and future of it. We learn about the legend of our watershed which is indigenous. We play ancient indigenous games with our older programs that we have been taught by and given special permission to share by the Ktunaxa Nation.
Our coulees are very rich in history and it will naturally be ingrained in our learnings.
ART
We are, almost without stopping, always using our hands to play, build, create and imagine. Using all the natural materials, including clay, sand, soil, mud, snow, rocks, sticks, leaves and paints. The children have opportunities to whittle, craft bows, make forts together among many others.
CONNECTION
Connection is the heart and soul of forest and nature school. We strive to create a space that children feel encouraged to be able to connect to the earth, and to each other in a healthy and positive way.
We incorporate sits spots for times of reflection and calmness. We explore wonder and curiosity. We learn to use our ‘eagle eyes, deer ears, and dear ears’ to be present, aware and create a deeper connection to nature.
We play games, tell group stories and focus on kind communication all gearing to help establish bonds between the children that can then be carried over to playing well with one another.