Curriculum

     Our school uses an emergent curriculum, inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach in Italy. This means that we follow the children’s lead by exploring their interests and then we dig deeper into the questions that arise on our outdoor adventures through the use of nature studies. Being a nature-based preschool, we also learn about the seasons that we are experiencing every day outdoors. Growing up in New England means that we get to explore the seasonal changes and adaptations that animals make throughout the year, whether they stick around for winter and adapt their diets, migrate south, or prepare for hibernation. We also learn about seasonal celebrations like harvest festivals and maple syrup season.  We believe in teaching children about risk assessment. When children are given a chance to engage freely in adventurous play, they quickly learn to assess their own skills and match them to the demands of the environment. By giving children a hands-on approach to learning and exploring topics that they experience, we believe that children will find a love of learning. Helping children find this love of learning is our job as Early Childhood Educators and is the sole purpose behind what we do. 

     To meet important developmental learning milestones, all of our adventures and explorations reflect the Connecticut Early Learning Developmental Standards and the NAAEE Guidelines for Excellence.