Kindergarten
“I am struck by the fact that the more slowly trees grow at first, the sounder they are at the core, and I think the same is true of human beings.” — from the Journal of Henry David Thoreau
For children age 4½ - 6
Four or five days per week 8:45 - 12:45
The kindergarten follows a program much like the Preschool, with an additional day and longer hours. Our home-like atmosphere and weekly rhythms continue to provide a gentle transition from family to school. An environment rich with natural materials offers each child opportunity for meaningful imitation and for creative play.
The child’s joy in movement is met through circle games, nature walks and gardening. Household activities, including baking and cleaning, strengthen their sense of responsibility to the group. Songs, poems, fairy tales and nature stories tune their ears to the beauty of language while enlivening their imaginative relationship with nature and the seasons.
The child’s natural sense of color and form is deepened through watercolor painting, beeswax modeling, crayon drawing and simple handwork and carpentry projects. The teachers support this unfolding awareness of the world through their loving care of the classroom and playground. Children may join in mending, gardening and crafting as they wish.
While the kindergarten is nonacademic in the traditional sense, it lays a foundation for lifelong learning and balanced development. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) as well as noted brain researchers such as Jane Healy promote the importance of active learning (doing) in early years as strong foundation for cognitive learning in later elementary years.
Please see the Enrollment page for the admission process.
