Forest School
As a school we believe deeply in the importance of supporting our children in developing a deep and joyful relationship to our natural environment. In contrast to environmental education, the focus of Forest School is not to teach about the environment per se, rather to empower our young children to feel confident, curious and creative in a natural environment. At Forest School we allow our students' interest to inspire short and long term projects that can be developed with natural materials and in a forest setting.
Unless the weather is particularly inclement, we know that we can find fun, adventure and learning out-of-doors rain or shine so long as our children are appropriately dressed. All children will need comfortable, sturdy walking shoes and comfortable clothing that can get dirty. Please make sure that your child has warm layers, a good rain jacket, rain pants (snow bibs also work great) and boots for the rainy months.
In addition to our experiences in the forest, we also feel it's important for our students to get out into the community to experience first-hand the themes they are exploring during inquiry projects. For example, a group of students investigating transportation might spend a day taking public transportation and comparing bus service to the BART system. A group interested in playing restaurant might walk to our local taqueria to observe the roles of the cashier, cook and waitress.
Unless the weather is particularly inclement, we know that we can find fun, adventure and learning out-of-doors rain or shine so long as our children are appropriately dressed. All children will need comfortable, sturdy walking shoes and comfortable clothing that can get dirty. Please make sure that your child has warm layers, a good rain jacket, rain pants (snow bibs also work great) and boots for the rainy months.
In addition to our experiences in the forest, we also feel it's important for our students to get out into the community to experience first-hand the themes they are exploring during inquiry projects. For example, a group of students investigating transportation might spend a day taking public transportation and comparing bus service to the BART system. A group interested in playing restaurant might walk to our local taqueria to observe the roles of the cashier, cook and waitress.
Preschool ProgramOur forest school preschool program is open to children ages 2-5. Children in our program will participate in child-centered activities that help them become familiar with the foundational structures of our curriculum: inquiry projects, art studio, story workshop, self-directed learning/play all within the context of forest school adventures.
Students will be introduced to a large array of artistic mediums through which they may express their ideas and offered a strong foundation in Spanish vocabulary. Our program is from 9:00-3:00pm. Part-time schedules are also available. |
Emergent CurriculumBased on our fundamental belief that children learn best when their work is meaningful and in a social context, we integrate all areas of curriculum through short-term and long-term projects. The inspiration for these projects come from the children themselves, but the activities are then framed by our teachers. While teachers imagine possible directions a project might head, the outcome of the project can never be truly planned ahead of time as teachers are constantly responding to the connections, reflections, questions and passions that arise from the students as the project proceeds.
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Elementary Program
Our elementary program has grown from families who loved the forest school model and is for children entering Kindergarten and First Grade.
Children in our program will participate in all of the foundational structures of our curriculum: inquiry projects, design studio, story workshop, math workshop, self-directed learning/play and forest school adventures. Students will be introduced to a large array of artistic mediums through which they may express their ideas and offered a strong foundation in Spanish vocabulary.
Our school year will be divided into several inquiry cycles. The beginning of each inquiry cycle will start with a broad exploration of the theme. We may invite experts to share their perspectives or plan experiences that allow our students to interact firsthand with the theme. During the creation phase students will collaborate in their teams to work on their long-term projects. The objective of this phase is for students to create their own understanding and perspective on the inquiry theme. The end of each inquiry cycle will conclude with individual and group reflection. Students (and teachers) extensively document their work from inspiration to completion and work together to synthesize what they have learned into a public exposition.
Children in our program will participate in all of the foundational structures of our curriculum: inquiry projects, design studio, story workshop, math workshop, self-directed learning/play and forest school adventures. Students will be introduced to a large array of artistic mediums through which they may express their ideas and offered a strong foundation in Spanish vocabulary.
Our school year will be divided into several inquiry cycles. The beginning of each inquiry cycle will start with a broad exploration of the theme. We may invite experts to share their perspectives or plan experiences that allow our students to interact firsthand with the theme. During the creation phase students will collaborate in their teams to work on their long-term projects. The objective of this phase is for students to create their own understanding and perspective on the inquiry theme. The end of each inquiry cycle will conclude with individual and group reflection. Students (and teachers) extensively document their work from inspiration to completion and work together to synthesize what they have learned into a public exposition.
Social JusticeAs teachers in our community we have agreed that one cannot ignore historical injustice and the current climate of of our society. Our children are impacted at all ages and we strongly believe that supporting their personal experiences in the world best impact their learning experience. We believe that social justice can show up in many ways in the preschool class room. We are an intentional community that works together to teach equity and justice and support what families are teaching at home.
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Parent ParticipationWe believe strongly that a school should be place that all three protaganists - teachers, students and families - work together to create a supportive learning environment. We expect that parents who choose Escuelita del Bosque will be looking forward to participating in the education of their children. At the same time we respect that all parents have different work hours such that active participation will look different for each family.
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