Explorers
Ages 3.5 – 6
Explore in the Forest!
Your child(ren) will spend 4 hours each visit learning through a blend of pedagogy (Montessori Philosophy, Reggio Emilia Approach, Anji Play Approach) at the Wonder & Awe forest and farm. Learning through discovery. Learning through play. Learning through doing. Learning through stories. Learning through music. Learning through practice and repetition. Learning through questioning. Learning through problem-solving. Learning through collaboration. Learning to learn!
Join Angela, your child’s host and guide, as she works with them to discover, develop, and design a learning curriculum that excites and motivates. Explorers is offered from 9am to 1pm in an unhurried rhythm that will awaken your child’s sense of wonder. Children will spend their time outside having fun together while strengthening their bonds to each other and to nature.
Explorers is offered in Seasonal Session Blocks.
Early Fall (September 9th through October 28th) - 8 weeks
Late Fall (November 4th through December 9th) - 6 weeks
Winter (January 13th through March 3rd) - 8 weeks
Spring (March 31st through June 16th) - 12 weeks
Your child will build meaningful relationships with their classmates and Angela.
Discover.
Your child(ren) will spend time discovering the world around them. They will be discovering what it means to be a good friend, what it means to create something from nothing, what it means to care for plants and animals, what it means to trust, and what it means to be a responsible citizen within a community. The children will be able to discover the forest and all it holds within it, the animals, the difference between tools and toys, and the nuances of relationships.
Develop.
Your child(ren) will spend time developing their skills, talents and voice. They will be given ample time to practice, and as they practice, they will gain confidence. As they gain confidence, they will share with others, giving voice to what they have learned. As they give voice to what they have learned, they will have mastered what began as “practice”. The children will be given opportunities to develop their gross motor skills, their fine motor skills, their conversation skills, their problem-solving skills, and the skills necessary for building relationships.
Design.
Your child(ren) will spend time with Angela (their host & guide) designing the curriculum they are interested in learning. Through a thoughtful process and a series of questions, each child will be offered opportunities that inspire, motivate and excite them. Each child is unique and as such their learning should be unique. General information is shared however the specific way your child will retain and practice the information is what will be unique to them. In this way, we are designing the curriculum and opportunities for learning specific to them.
Investment
Explorers
Early Fall Session - 2 day/week is $600/child (excluding Thanksgiving)
Late Fall Session - 2 day/week is $480/child
Winter Session - 2 day/week is $600/child (excluding Family Day)
Early Spring Session - 2 day/week is $880/child (excluding Easter, & Victoria Day)
Children must be able to independently use a “Jiffy John”
Please know that this is an unlicensed recreation program because it is offered as an outdoor program with no building for licensing inspection, and as such, does not receive any government funding for fee reductions or wage enhancements for educators.
“Will “Explorers” be any different than the current Wanderers & Adventurers Programs?”
YES! Explorers will be different.
Explorers will be a beautiful blend of Montessori, Anji Play, Reggio-Emilia, and Forest & Nature School philosophies. Each child will have an abundance of time spent outdoors putting into practice any lesson they have been offered. For example, this might look like a lesson on local birds in our area. After looking at images of each bird and seeing the name of each bird in print (nomenclature cards), the children could go and look for these birds around the property. When learning about nests; materials uses, size of, locations found, the children might use the Montessori number rods to measure out and attempt to build a nest using the same materials the bird would use. When learning about migration, we might look at the birds flight path (on the North American puzzle map), and notice when the Tundra Swans fly overhead in September that Winter is approaching and when they fly overhead in March that Spring is on its way!