WHY A NATURE SCHOOL?

The natural world moves at a much slower pace than the human-made world of linear time. There are no studies that show that children who attend early academic preschools perform better when they enter primary school.

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Animal behaviorists universally agree that there is value in the play of baby animals. Researchers suggest that the play involves practice of real world & lifelong adult skills that will be needed in the future. Play isn't seen then as superfluous but rather essential in a baby animal's growth & development. However, we don't allow this same reasoning for our human babies & toddlers. In the view of most human adults, play's non-essential & therefore not true learning. It's seen as a luxury & not as a necessity. Skills that children learn through play, like balance, falling properly, hand-eye coordination, pincer grasp, as well as important lessons about the physics of the natural world are life skills that will enable them tro navigate the adult world successfully.

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The Nature School model, throughits interest-led programming, inquiry-based teaching style & emphasis on social & emotional development promotes kindergarten readiness in the following ways: it leads to better problem solving; higher critical thinking; encourages excitement about learning & retains the desire tro learn; it teaches kids HOW to problem solve not WHAT the answers are; it expands creativity; it promotes a willingness to take risks; & it results in children who have better peer communication, emotional resilience, lower frustration levels, higher perseverance, & who work more cooperatively with their class mates.