Forest Playschool and Adventure Club: Fall is in full swing in our outdoor classroom! We have loved the transition from Summer to Fall and all the beautiful colors, colder mornings and Autumn celebrations we have enjoyed together so far.
With colder mornings and winter weather finally starting to show up, our time together at Playschool (ages 3-6) is currently about acclimating and empowering our students to take care of their bodies and belongings. Learning how to listen to our bodies when we are cold or hot, how to successfully layer as the morning sun changes, keeping our gloves and hats safe, and tricks to warm up our bodies and hands on those especially cold days are just a few things we are working on right now. Our students continue to learn about friendship through conflict resolution, teamwork and communication, and are flourishing in their independence and imaginative play while playing and working with each other at school. Each child is getting the opportunity to practice their skills and abilities of taking care of themselves both physically and emotionally (with teachers help of course). We have already seen great improvement in each child’s development in language, ability to regulate themselves, identify their feelings and talk through conflict. Some activities we are enjoying right now are reading stories, playing in our mud kitchen, climbing on the trees and rocks in our outdoor classroom, looking for animal tacks and playing imagination games. Our Friday Adventure Club Program (ages 5-8) has been a huge success this year with such a great group of kids! Fridays afternoons never quite seem long enough for them as they grow in friendship and imagination. They have developed incredibly intricate and Immersive games together and the days seem to be filled with of laughter and play. We love to see what fun they come up with each week!
WHAT WE ARE LEARNING: At this point in the year, we are learning about the changing seasons, weather and the uniqueness and joy that different days can bring! As the changing weather brings the need to take care of our bodies, we are putting into play all the we have practiced at the beginning of the shcool year. This includes how to take care of ourselves and our belongings, listening to our bodies, empowering ourselves through difficult emotions, and building confidence in ourselves and our friendships. We continue to practice our three classroom agreements: Play Safe, Play Fair and Have Fun. We are enjoying the colder mornings and love running around, dance parties, practicing our layering, spending time in the sun, and staying close to teachers and friends to warm up our bodies each day. The kids have naturally been inclined to play more physical games this season as a way to combat the colder days and it has been so fun to see the bond they are all creating as they get lost in their imagination and creativity. Teachers spend their mornings helping the kids with their gloves and layers, giving kids extra care during transitions and colder days, working with the kids through conflict, and connecting with the kids through play, help and conversation. Their mornings are filled with exploring, observing and joining in games with the kids and making sure everyone is safe and fair with their play. We continue to practice teamwork and encourage personal empowerment with the kids in all that we do.
* Remember to check Brightwheel for updates and personal pictures of your kiddo in class throughout the school year!
UPCOMING CLOSURES:
*Fall Break: November 25th - November 29th (one week)
*Winter Recess: December 23rd - January 3rd (two weeks)
DIRECTOR MACKENZY’S BABY SHOWER/ OPENHOUSE: You and your family are invited to join us for our last event of the 2024 year as we celebrate Director Mackenzy and her family in the coming birth of her baby boy! Stop by and spend time with the teacher, program creators, and other forest school families in our community. Refreshments will be provided, as well as some baby-themed activities for the kids! We look forward to celebrating this magical time in Mackenzy’s life with you!
When: Saturday, December 14th
Time: 11am-1pm
*For full Baby Shower details or to receive Mackenzy’s Baby Registry, please RSVP to us via email at gratefulgatheringfs@gmail.com or text Mackenzy.
We look forward to seeing you all there!
*BOOK OF THE MONTH:
Kids Book: Fletcher and the Falling Leaves by Julia Rawlinson
Adults Book: Gathering Moss by Robin Wall Kimmerer
If you have a book you’d like to recommend, please send us a message through Brightwheel!
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GRATEFUL GATHERING FOREST SCHOOL
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Forest Playschool?
Originated in Denmark, Forest Kindergartens (or preschools) are a type of education for children between the ages of three and six that is held almost exclusively outdoors. Now adopted and getting more popular in the US, Forest Schools are becoming an incredible child development tool for children of all ages. Grateful Gathering Forest School adopted the Playschool value system because we believe that the best and only true way for a child to practice everyday life skills with passion and curiosity is through play. And we believe the best teacher and playground for that learning is in nature. Our curriculum focuses on interest-led nature exploration, PLAY, and daily discoveries. We engage with our natural world and foster an environment for children to be empowered, develop life skills, friendships, and explore their creativity, while developing confidence and an innate interest in learning about themselves and the world around them.
What can I expect from school everyday?
Grateful Gatherings Forest School’s low teacher to student ratio (4:1 for ages 3-6 and 6:1 for ages 6-10) and our child-led approach to learning allows for every child to show up to school each day just as they are, with teachers able to take care of their individual needs and feelings. We begin each day with a “hello circle” of some kind where we tune into our bodies, talk about the weather for the day and what that means for our clothing (removing layers, feeling too hot/cold, etc.), go over our affirmations and agreements, and sing a song together. The rest of the day is unstructured free-play and in the moment learning about ourselves and our feelings, the natural world around us, and how to build and foster relationships with others. Each class includes: seasonal nature-based learning, unstructured exploration and play, songs & stories, team-building games, food and water to nourish our bodies, mindful practices, problem solving, creativity, skill building, and lots of friendships and fun!
Where is pick-up and drop-off?
We use multiple nature spots throughout Sandy based on season. Pick-up and drop-off will be in the parking lot of the location we are meeting at for the day. Location is seasonal based on sunlight. Teachers will message about location change for any reason.
How do we handle snacks and potty breaks?
Grateful Gatherings is an outdoor program. Depending on where we are at, we wont always have access to public restrooms. We ask that parents help their children get comfortable going to the bathroom outside before they begin our program. We do request parents pack an extra pair for clothing in case of an accident. One teacher will always be close by in case they are needed, and we always carry hand sanitizer for after a potty break. We allow kids to go to go to the bathroom and eat at their food on their own terms (we do ask everyone every day if they need to go to the bathroom and make sure every child has sat down to eat) and actively promote listening to their bodies every day at school.
What do we do in inclement weather or low air-quality days?
Safety is our main priority with the kids, and is a staple in what we teach at school. Because we are a 100% outdoor program, if the weather is unsafe for the children to be outside for extended periods of time, we will have to close for the day. We do not refund if we have to cancel for the day. Make up days are available, but up to the family to schedule.
How can I set my child up for success?
Before joining our program, a lot of parents ask us what they can do to help their child get ready for Forest School. What a great question to ask! We believe the best way to prepare them and make them feel confident in this exciting step is to show them what they will be doing! We ask parents to take them to the places they will be playing in and go for a hike and explore with them! Familiarize them with our website and our social media page and show them some of the activities we do. Practice going to the bathroom outside. Talk to them about what they can expect and what they might be feeling about it. Doing these things with your child will help make him/her more readily able to make that transition, and feel confident in their new outdoor environment!