Forest Kindergarten (Ages 4-6)

BOAT CAMP Nature School is excited to offer a new outdoor learning program for pre-school to kindergarten-aged children starting in October 2013. Our Little River Otters program will be modeled around German Waldkindergartens, in which all of our class time will be spent entirely outside!

Enrollment is now open! We invite you to download a  LittleRiverOtters_Registration form and mail in with a $100 nonrefundable deposit. Outdoor classrooms naturally create endless learning opportunities for our children to nurture their own curiosity, perhaps by following animal tracks and sign, making wild crafts with leaves and treasures found on the forest floor, or using fallen logs as balance beams. Adult mentors assist in the learning, rather than lead the teachings. This is different from a “nature preschool,” which infuses lessons with nature-inspired themes and balances indoor time with outdoor time, as we will be outside the ENTIRE time in all but extreme weather conditions. Proper dress and an adventurous, curious spirit is essential… and we know that’s what kids do best!

Each day we’ll embrace the weather, the forest, and our friends with songs and greetings of thanks. Then we will embark on our time together with natural hands-on learning, storytelling, and exploring the world around us. This is a great opportunity for children to spend quality kid-time enjoying freedom outside and connecting with our natural world, their own self and each other.

Core Activities
Seasonal Cycles
Natural Arts and Crafts
Literacy, Numbers, and Music
Exploration
Sensory Awareness
Physical Activity
Free Play

Seasonal Cycles
We’ll investigate evidence of the changing seasons, sled, slide, and glide our way through the forest, and welcome spring’s arrival.

Natural Arts and Crafts
We’ll build, sculpt, and create by using natural material and our wildest imaginations. Along the way, we’ll learn about wild edibles, hazardous plants, and other hands-on earth skills.
Literacy, Numbers, and Music
Storytelling and dance will be used for both motivation and reflection. We’ll count our way through the day as we gather natural materials, and our songs will help children learn musical expression, rhythm, and tempo.

Exploration
We will make time to follow our curiosity and explore the wilderness with the company of friends and adult nature mentors.

Sensory Awareness
We will intentionally build awareness of our senses so as to connect more deeply with nature. This is done through awareness games, exploration and curiosity-driven conversation.

Physical Activity
We will run, jump, play, roll, swing, and climb through the forest as we build gross motor skills, balance, and coordination.
Free Play
While our time  in the forest will be packed with adventure, education and fun, we respect the time each child needs to take their own steps towards a deeper nature connection.

Preliminary Schedule

We respect that families enjoy crafting a mosaic of Pre-K experiences for their child, so we are offering multiple time slots from which to choose, in any combination that suits your family best. We require a minimum of two classes per week. As enrollment unfolds, we may adjust the sessions to best suit the needs of the most interested families.

Suggested class times are Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays, 9 a.m. to noon OR 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Tuition: $2200 for two sessions. (Payment plans, multiple session discount, and limited scholarships available)

October 7, 2013 through June 5, 2014 (Winter break December 23 to January 31). Sessions are limited to 8 kids with an adult ratio of 4:1.

Enrollment is now open! We invite you to download a  LittleRiverOtters_Registration form and mail in with a $100 nonrefundable deposit.

While steeped in our own unique outdoor learning style, BOAT CAMP Nature School’s new forest kindergarten program is inspired by similar programs offered in other parts of the country, including our friends at Fox Tracks Nature Program,  Cedarsong Nature School, and Forest Gnomes at Natick Community Organic Farm.

More Recommended Reading and Visiting

Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv

The Nature Principle, Richard Louv

The Geography of Childhood, Gary Paul Nabhan & Stephen Trimble

“Look, Don’t Touch,” David Sobel, Orion magazine, July 2012 http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/6929

Green Hearts Institute for Children in Nature, http://www.greenheartsinc.org/Resources___Links.html

Children and Nature Network, http://www.childrenandnature.org/

Sir Ken Robinson, http://sirkenrobinson.com/ and http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zDZFcDGpL4U