At Into the Woods Playschool, our mission is to bring nature back into childhood. We want to reconnect children to the great outdoors, inspire their curiosity and a love of learning. We will do this by allowing for extended periods of free play, allowing kids to take risks, learn about their interests, and follow their lead. Into the Woods Playschool is committed to outdoor nature immersion, interest-led flow learning, emergent curriculum, and an emphasis on authentic play. Our teaching style encourages children to learn through direct experience with nature and to gain skills when they are developmentally ready to do so.
Why do we spend so much time outside?
Nature immersion is defined by Erin Kenny as, “unstructured free time in nature, resulting in an intimate, deep and personal connection to the natural world.” Extended and uninterrupted play provides opportunities for exploration, deep thinking and curiosity. Nature immersion leads to a suspension of linear time and a sense of timelessness in our hurried lives, which is necessary for creating bonds to place, self and living beings within the space. Close contact with nature contributes to young children’s motor, sensory, social, emotional, moral and cognitive development, as well as a child’s physical health and mental wellbeing.
School Readiness
When children become interested and excited about something, their sense of wonder leads to hunger for knowledge about that subject. Children also retain more information when it is dispensed at that moment their curiosity is piqued. Using our emergent curriculum we follow the child’s interest and capitalize on this way of learning. Children learn problem-solving skills including critical thinking and divergent thinking. They develop their executive function which is a better predictor of school success than IQ. They build their creativity, imagination, willingness to take risks, and emotional resilience. There is a focus on team building and cooperation both of which are great skills for not only school but life. Children will leave our program ready to enjoy school because they will enjoy learning and have a thirst for discovery.
Life skills gained in our program
Some life skills they will gain include social skills, conflict resolution, self-regulation, negotiation, body awareness, respect, instilled kindness, compassion, empathy, emotional balance and risk assessment.
Respect for others, self, and the Earth
Living harmoniously with others makes for a more peaceful world. Treating ourselves with gentle kindness and respect flows outward and results in the ability for higher compassion towards others. Seeing ourselves as an integral part of the natural world leads us to want to protect and preserve all aspects of it.
Authentic Play
Recent research shows young children learn best through direct hands-on experience and through play, music and art. All of these stimulate imagination and creativity. We will integrate some of each into our sessions daily.
What parents are saying….
The thing that sets forest school apart from traditional educational settings is being able to explore nature to the fullest. For example, at traditional schools children are usually told not to play with sticks. At forest school, children are shown how they can play with sticks safely. The same goes for climbing trees, playing with mud, etc. Children learn so much from exploring the world with their senses, and at Into the Woods my daughter not only gets to read books about nature, she gets to see, feel, hear, taste, and smell nature every time she is there. I recommend Into the Woods Playschool to all parents of preschool age children I find myself chatting with at local parks, and if the person reading this is a parent of a young child, I recommend Into the Woods to you as well!
~Kristin
We had previously tried several more conventional daycare programs (one a standard preschool, and one small home-run daycare) that left a lot to be desired even in terms of basic care/attention, but certainly in terms of learning/curriculum, and were either completely overstimulating (noisy and chaotic) or understimulating (centered around infant care, not much educational curriculum) for Juno. Juno really dreaded going to those schools. She would beg to stay home from school and cry in the mornings when I dropped her off (and this persisted for months). Into the Woods has been a nurturing environment where Juno has absolutely flourished and thrived. She wakes up every day excited for school, and expresses disappointment that there is no school on weekend days.
~Becca
Our daughter’s social and communication skills have drastically improved since she began at the forest school. She has also developed an awareness and concern for all beings including insects now. Before attending this school she was very shy but with each day. I can see how the ITWP program has helped her come out of her shell along with wanting to share her new found knowledge about the woods. Hands down, Into the Woods is an excellent program! Your child can learn in a non-traditional and creative environment, educating them about the world around them.
~Katie
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Into the Woods Playschool C02LE0067
8551 Buck Lake Rd. Tallahassee, FL 32317
@intothewoods_playschool
