Preschool & Kindergarten
Imagination at Play
Wonder, reverence, and joy are at the heart of our early childhood program. A young child’s day is grounded in exploration, play, and building social connections with teachers and friends.
Preschool and kindergarten teachers joyfully greet their students every morning, capturing their imaginations with vivid stories, engaging physical activities, and seasonal songs. Every day our youngest students play and explore outside in our creatively designed play yards and on neighborhood walks, and engage with natural materials such as wooden toys, beeswax crayons, and found objects in nature. They assist their teachers in meaningful work in the garden, classroom, and play yard, increasing their responsibility as they grow closer to grade school. Our early childhood curriculum emphasizes rhythm, simplicity, and balance, giving students the skills they need to soar.
How children learn through play:
- Circle and story time prepare them for language arts.
- Rhythmic games, songs, and movement build spatial understanding and math foundations.
- Exposure to the natural world prepares them for life sciences.
- Creative play leads to self-motivated learning.
- Artistic activities lead to creative problem-solving.
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Strong bonds with teachers and classmates contribute to healthy social-emotional development.
A day in the life of the preschool or kindergarten student:
- Free and structured play.
- Development of gross motor skills through circle time, jumping rope, and walks on our wooded campus and to nearby parks.
- Arts and crafts with natural materials.
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Practical work (pumping water, digging, cleaning up, managing outerwear and footwear).
Academics
Stories, songs, games, and puppet shows lay the foundation for literacy and numeracy. Yarn work and sanding support fine motor skills to prepare them for writing. Walking and jumping rope support the development of gross motor skills. Celebrating seasonal changes lays the foundation for scientific inquiry.
Arts
Children are immersed in beauty and creativity, from our intentionally designed learning spaces to crafts with natural elements like beeswax, wool, plant materials, and watercolors. Friends sing, dance, and play act their own stories together.
Outdoors
Rain or shine, students are in nature every day. They climb trees, watch wildlife, dig trenches, and stomp in puddles. On daily walks, they develop a sense of direction and adventure. Seasonal celebrations are also held outside—a candle-lit lantern walk in fall, a colorful parade in spring.
Athletics
Safe places to climb, jump, swing, tumble, and roll strengthen young bodies, develop coordination, teach navigation through space shared with others, and support brain development. Longer walks with the class build endurance, stamina, and teamwork.
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