“There must be provision for the child to have contact with nature, to understand and appreciate the order, the harmony and the beauty in nature… so that the child may better understand and participate in the marvelous things which civilization creates.” - The Secret of Childhood, Maria Montessori
Based in Nature:
The natural world is a very integral part of our school, our community and is imbued in everything that we do at the school. We strongly believe that children should develop a connection to nature, which is reflected in what we do everyday at the school.
The Outdoors
The children are outside every day, in all types of weather. They are given the opportunity to explore our various play structures and the woods on our school grounds, both with structured lessons and unstructured play, and sometimes spontaneous lessons!
Free Play
The children are given time for unstructured play outside every day after lunch. This time is purposefully left free for the children to use their imaginations and develop social skills. During this time, the teacher guides the children to ensure that the games are peaceful and inclusive. Our items in the outdoor areas are intentional and limited, to help the children find ways to play with what is found in nature, rather than having many “toys” or items brought from outside.
Outdoor Education
Every year, and especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have structured lessons in the woods. These lessons are usually based on science and/or the seasons. Children may go for sensorial walks during different times of the year, to observe nature using most of their senses. Acorn collecting in the fall, and looking for animal tracks in the winter, are just a few more examples of activities that the children do during the year.
Spontaneous Activity
Children often use rocks, sticks, moss and woodchips to create their own games, and many times take what they are doing in the classroom, out into nature. Sticks are used for counting and rocks are used to write letters. Left to their own devices, the children are able to find creative ways to continue their learning in the great outdoors!
The Outdoors (brought inside!)
Inside the classroom, much of the work that the children do is connected to nature. Most of the materials we use are natural: wood, glass and metal. We try to minimize the use of plastic in all that we do in the school. While we ask children to keep nature out in nature, the teachers try to have purposeful collecting happen throughout the year. Chestnuts are used as a counting work and leaves are brought in for color matching. Much of our vocabulary work involves learning the names and types of plants, animals and rocks, both ones that are around us as well as from all over the world.
Cosmic Education
Taking care of living things, both inside and outside the classroom is modelled and practiced: watering plants, feeding the fish and making sure the earthworms go back where they belong! We are grateful for the large windows in both of our classrooms, which allow us to quietly observe, turkeys, an occasional deer and birds coming to our bird feeders in the winter. An underlying theme in our curriculum is the one of “Cosmic Education”, the idea that we as individuals are a part of something bigger. Children are taught their “cosmic address” starting with the earth, the continent, the country, the state and the town that our school is located. By learning about our environment and the diverse environments and cultures found across the world, children are able to find similarities and appreciate the differences. They are able to start developing their own identities and form a deep connection with everything, living and nonliving, around them.
Contact
P.O. Box 5606
(67 Trescott Road)
Hanover, NH 03755