Program Info
Check out our blog to get a glimpse of what we do from day to day
https://blog.seesaw.me/robinsnest
Join our private facebook page for daily photo updates
https://www.facebook.com/groups/762373461183737
Please review our family handbook (link below) to familiarize yourself with the expectations of our community. Please also be sure to read over our pandemic policies above as some aspects of our program will be suspended until further notice.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rUaqScEmIhh6b5zFuFNdzyYFpRsb-YKztVqQLxlGXxU/edit?usp=sharing
https://blog.seesaw.me/robinsnest
Join our private facebook page for daily photo updates
https://www.facebook.com/groups/762373461183737
Please review our family handbook (link below) to familiarize yourself with the expectations of our community. Please also be sure to read over our pandemic policies above as some aspects of our program will be suspended until further notice.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rUaqScEmIhh6b5zFuFNdzyYFpRsb-YKztVqQLxlGXxU/edit?usp=sharing
Daily Rhythm
Please note: *Our school day and programmatic offerings will vary from day to day depending on students’ interest, in alignment with the Emergent Curriculum focus of forest kindergarten pedagogy, but a general daily rhythm is provided and followed. All times are approximate except for Drop-off and Pick-up.
9:30 am- Drop-off/Unstructured Play
Students spend time engaging in unstructured play in the "Wild Space". Provocations, such as coloring materials, wooden blocks, and other engaging natural items and seasonal activities are sometimes left out to compliment the week's lesson theme.
11:00 am- Opening Circle/Snack Gathering
The class will sit together for the opening circle, and share in the community building time that coming together as a group can foster, using this special time to forge meaningful connections and conversation. This time is also used to analyze the weather, bring awareness to changes in our surroundings, check-in with how each person is feeling, set intentions and discover the lesson or theme for the day.
11:30 am- Unstructured Play
Once they manage their waste and put their things away, students will have more unstructured play time running, jumping, digging, crawling, falling, climbing, hiding, finding and exploring in the "Wild Space".
12:00 pm- Lunch Gathering/Story Time
The lunch gathering is a time of community building, where the teacher will read a book that ties into the emergent lesson of the cycles and processes of the natural world. As they finish with their meals, students can choose to spend time chatting to their friends or just sit quietly and rest.
12:30 pm- Choice Time: Emergent Learning or Unstructured Play
During choice time, teachers will be present to keep students safe and be a helpful guide for their interests and facilitate lessons from the discoveries that happen during the student's unstructured play. Child-led, play-centric, inquiry-based education will be prioritized, while supporting risky play and healthy risk-taking activities in each and every part of the day. Educators will sometimes supplement the experiential learning by preparing lessons and activities guided by the interest of the students, their experiences in nature, and the cycles of the seasons.
1:00 pm- Clean-up/Pack-up
As the day ends, students will be responsible for returning all their tools back to the tool shed and cleaning up any other school items they were using.
1:10 pm- Closing Circle
The Closing Circle will include sharing, singing, movement, and reflecting on their school day. The meeting will end with sharing gratitude and a goodbye song.
1:30 pm- Pick-up
Curriculum:
At Robin’s Nest Nature School, we prioritize child-led, play-centric, inquiry-based education. Instead of adhering to a predetermined rigid curriculum, we practice Emergent Curriculum, which is rooted in the Reggio Emilia approach to education. The interests of the students, and the natural cycles and happenings of nature will inform the teaching and guide the day-to-day activities. Hands-on exploratory learning is valued above rote memorization of facts and figures. It is fully acknowledged that students conduct much of their learning through unstructured play. These emergent play-based lessons influence and create the majority of the curriculum as students guide their own experiences, and lead their own learning.
We believe young children learn best when they are encouraged to use their imagination and creativity during unstructured risky play in a natural setting. Fully immersing a child in nature, while affording them these unstructured play experiences, creates a lifelong connection to themselves, and the world around them. In times of unstructured play, students are imitating and practicing adult actions, stretching themselves mentally and physically, and honing the necessary skills for a successful future. This fosters independence, self-efficacy, resilience, and empathy for all beings.
The facilitation of social-emotional learning is one of our top priorities as early childhood educators.
We seek to nurture the children’s relationships with themselves, each other, their community, the Earth, and all its creatures. In an outdoor immersive environment, we are able to let go of academic pressures and create space for the children to develop a passion for learning, and a sense of curiosity, appreciation, and wonder.
We hold our relationship with Our Giving Garden as one of the most unique and valuable parts of our program. We are so grateful to have access to the landscape, animals, and facilities that the Garden provides, and for the opportunity for the children to be engaged in meaningful work for the good of the community.
At Robin’s Nest Nature School, we prioritize child-led, play-centric, inquiry-based education. Instead of adhering to a predetermined rigid curriculum, we practice Emergent Curriculum, which is rooted in the Reggio Emilia approach to education. The interests of the students, and the natural cycles and happenings of nature will inform the teaching and guide the day-to-day activities. Hands-on exploratory learning is valued above rote memorization of facts and figures. It is fully acknowledged that students conduct much of their learning through unstructured play. These emergent play-based lessons influence and create the majority of the curriculum as students guide their own experiences, and lead their own learning.
We believe young children learn best when they are encouraged to use their imagination and creativity during unstructured risky play in a natural setting. Fully immersing a child in nature, while affording them these unstructured play experiences, creates a lifelong connection to themselves, and the world around them. In times of unstructured play, students are imitating and practicing adult actions, stretching themselves mentally and physically, and honing the necessary skills for a successful future. This fosters independence, self-efficacy, resilience, and empathy for all beings.
The facilitation of social-emotional learning is one of our top priorities as early childhood educators.
We seek to nurture the children’s relationships with themselves, each other, their community, the Earth, and all its creatures. In an outdoor immersive environment, we are able to let go of academic pressures and create space for the children to develop a passion for learning, and a sense of curiosity, appreciation, and wonder.
We hold our relationship with Our Giving Garden as one of the most unique and valuable parts of our program. We are so grateful to have access to the landscape, animals, and facilities that the Garden provides, and for the opportunity for the children to be engaged in meaningful work for the good of the community.
"Let the children be free; encourage them; let them run outside when it is raining; let them remove their shoes when they find a puddle of water; and, when the grass of the meadows is damp with dew, let them run on it and trample it with their bare feet; let them rest peacefully when a tree invites them to sleep beneath it's shade; let them shout and laugh when the sun wakes them in the morning as it wakes every living creature that divides its day between waking and sleeping."
- Dr. Maria Montessori, The Discovery of the Child
Learning Environment Wholesome Respectful Holistic Intentional Peaceful |
Daily Activities Imaginative play Storytelling Singing Cooking Foraging Planting Digging Moat and fort building Dancing Stretching Drawing Measuring Reflection Handwork Exploration Experimentation Seasonal crafts Animal care |
Curriculum Focus Sustainability! Fine and gross motor skills Interpersonal skills Imagination Creative thinking Mindfulness Empathy Community awareness Problem solving Cultural differences Teamwork Resilience Risk-taking Emotional intelligence |