About Us |
Our philosophy:
Children learn most through exploration of their environment. A multi-sensory environment rich in sights, sounds and textures, both soothing and stimulating, nurtures a child’s creativity and sense of self-worth.
Children learn most through exploration of their environment. A multi-sensory environment rich in sights, sounds and textures, both soothing and stimulating, nurtures a child’s creativity and sense of self-worth.
Seedschool achieves this environment by featuring:
* Holistic, self-directed, project-based learning
* A child and family centered approach to early learning
* Multi-age group: 4 - 9 years
* Peer mentoring
* Low teacher: child ratio
* Small group size
* Extensive outdoor exploration in all seasons
* Caring for classroom pets – chickens, seasonal caterpillars, and other friends
* Life skills such as handcrafts and meal preparation
* Toys and materials for learning, powered by children, made of natural materials with minimal plastic
* Holistic, self-directed, project-based learning
* A child and family centered approach to early learning
* Multi-age group: 4 - 9 years
* Peer mentoring
* Low teacher: child ratio
* Small group size
* Extensive outdoor exploration in all seasons
* Caring for classroom pets – chickens, seasonal caterpillars, and other friends
* Life skills such as handcrafts and meal preparation
* Toys and materials for learning, powered by children, made of natural materials with minimal plastic
Recognizing that each child is an individual who experiences life in a unique way, Seedschool is guided by the wisdom of a variety of educational theories and principles (without conforming strictly to one over the others). Click on the links for further information:
*Emergent Curriculum / Project approach
*The Reggio Emilia approach
*Sudbury Valley School approach
*The theories of Rudolph Steiner / Waldorf Education
*The teachings of Friedrich Froebel
*The theories of Maria Montessori
*Jean Piaget‘s Cognitive Development Theory
*Developmentally Appropriate Practices (NAEYC)
*Relationship / Attachment based care
* We believe in the spirit of the one room schoolhouse – a classroom community of mentoring and cooperation between preschool and lower elementary/ homeschool age children.
Nature Exploration:
Today’s children spend far less time outdoors than generations before them. Greenspaces are rapidly succumbing to urban and suburban development. Seedschool offers children a rare opportunity for nature immersion.
Following the seasons from Solstice to Equinox, Equinox to Solstice, children will explore nature and gardening as they help design and plant the Farm Garden and explore the climbing tree.
We will grow native plants, vegetables and fruit trees. Children will learn about seed starting, planting times, soil health and pollination. They will carry water, dig holes, prune and harvest, and care for our school chickens. We will keep a classroom nature journal to document our experiences.
*Emergent Curriculum / Project approach
*The Reggio Emilia approach
*Sudbury Valley School approach
*The theories of Rudolph Steiner / Waldorf Education
*The teachings of Friedrich Froebel
*The theories of Maria Montessori
*Jean Piaget‘s Cognitive Development Theory
*Developmentally Appropriate Practices (NAEYC)
*Relationship / Attachment based care
* We believe in the spirit of the one room schoolhouse – a classroom community of mentoring and cooperation between preschool and lower elementary/ homeschool age children.
Nature Exploration:
Today’s children spend far less time outdoors than generations before them. Greenspaces are rapidly succumbing to urban and suburban development. Seedschool offers children a rare opportunity for nature immersion.
Following the seasons from Solstice to Equinox, Equinox to Solstice, children will explore nature and gardening as they help design and plant the Farm Garden and explore the climbing tree.
We will grow native plants, vegetables and fruit trees. Children will learn about seed starting, planting times, soil health and pollination. They will carry water, dig holes, prune and harvest, and care for our school chickens. We will keep a classroom nature journal to document our experiences.
Daily Routine:
Monday through Thursday
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Note that this is a routine rather than a schedule (there are not specified times and durations for activities). We will follow the elements of this routine each school day in order to provide the comfort that many children receive from predictability. What this routine lacks is the strict structure often found in school environments.
* Gathering and Classroom Exploration: arrivals and greetings, reconnecting with friends, free choice activities – we offer a wide variety of materials in our classroom such as books, puzzles, games, Legos, wooden blocks, the play kitchen, classroom animals, and many open-ended art materials.
* Outdoor Exploration: may include work in the Farm Garden, Mud Kitchen exploration, tree climbing, collecting, observation, documentation (with photos, drawings and writing as able) of plant and animal species, dog park observation and documentation, snack and storytime under the trees.
* Projects: Our program is built around project based learning. These activities may happen inside or outside, and may involve both individual and collaborative projects. The inspiration for projects ideally comes from the children rather than being directed by the teacher.
* Mealtime: Food is an important ingredient in learning. The children will manage their own simple preparation of food brought from home. We will harvest and share what we grow. We will discuss the colors and textures of the foods we have, what they are, how they grew and where they came from.
* Classroom and Outdoor Exploration: continued in the afternoon (as above).
* Gathering: reading, discussion, observations of the day, parents arrive.
Monday through Thursday
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Note that this is a routine rather than a schedule (there are not specified times and durations for activities). We will follow the elements of this routine each school day in order to provide the comfort that many children receive from predictability. What this routine lacks is the strict structure often found in school environments.
* Gathering and Classroom Exploration: arrivals and greetings, reconnecting with friends, free choice activities – we offer a wide variety of materials in our classroom such as books, puzzles, games, Legos, wooden blocks, the play kitchen, classroom animals, and many open-ended art materials.
* Outdoor Exploration: may include work in the Farm Garden, Mud Kitchen exploration, tree climbing, collecting, observation, documentation (with photos, drawings and writing as able) of plant and animal species, dog park observation and documentation, snack and storytime under the trees.
* Projects: Our program is built around project based learning. These activities may happen inside or outside, and may involve both individual and collaborative projects. The inspiration for projects ideally comes from the children rather than being directed by the teacher.
* Mealtime: Food is an important ingredient in learning. The children will manage their own simple preparation of food brought from home. We will harvest and share what we grow. We will discuss the colors and textures of the foods we have, what they are, how they grew and where they came from.
* Classroom and Outdoor Exploration: continued in the afternoon (as above).
* Gathering: reading, discussion, observations of the day, parents arrive.
“Passion is lifted from the earth itself by the muddy hands of the young; it travels along grass-stained sleeves to the heart. If we are going to save environmentalism and the environment, we must also save an endangered indicator species: the child in nature.”
― Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder
― Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder
