Montessori believed in the uniqueness and unparalleled abilities of every child. As guides we are not preparing children for the exams and tests which will confront them in later life, but preparing them for life itself. It is our responsibility to help the child connect the lessons learned in the classroom to the real world and every day life.
The Montessori teaching method combined with the opportunities of a Forest and Farm school setting allow your child to be in a constant state of learning and working whether in the classroom, walking down a forest path or tending to the animals and/or plants.
All students are viewed as:
Equal, unique and valuable
Competent to explore and discover
Entitled to face appropriate risk and challenges
Entitled to experience regular success
Entitled to develop positive relationships with themselves and other people
Entitled to choose, to initiate and drive their own learning process and development
The Farm provides invaluable opportunities to witness and study natural phenomena. While collecting sap to make maple syrup, students learn why the trees produce sap and why it can only be harvested in early spring. One morning job is to predict the weather based on observation, temperature and barometric pressure. Students on a walk might encounter the track of a deer, prompting discussion of why the deer was there. Students see cycles of life as they plant and harvest vegetables or witness the hatching of a chick or duck and watch it grow up. They develop an understanding of where food comes from and of the interdependence of humans and nature.
The Forest allows students the time and space to develop their interests, skills, and understanding through practical, hands-on experiences. Children have the freedom to explore, play, build, create, imagine, and use their senses to experience the outdoor environment and engage with one another. By participating in engaging, motivating and achievable tasks and activities in a woodland environment each participant has an opportunity to develop intrinsic motivation, balanced emotional and social skills. These, through self awareness, can be developed to help reach personal potential.
Outdoor Education –A number of studies have documented increased school performance through outdoor education. Research has documented increased standardized test scores, enhanced attitude about school, improved in-school behavior, improved attendance and overall enhanced student achievement when students learn in and about nature. In addition, outdoor education effectively employs a greater range of children’s intelligence's. Many researchers contribute the increase in performance to increased relevance and hands-on experience of learning outdoors. Learning outdoors is active and increases students’ physical, mental and social health. Some studies have even shown follow-up (e.g., non-school) physical activity increases with outdoor learning. Access to nature has also been shown to decrease the symptoms of ADHD. Outdoor learning and access to nature also decrease stress levels of students and teachers.Children greatly benefit developmentally from being outdoors. Studies have shown that students who learn outdoors develop: a sense of self, independence, confidence, creativity, decision-making and problem-solving skills, empathy towards others, motor skills, self-discipline and initiative.Often, the outdoors provides a change of pace from the classroom, which students and teachers enjoy.Outdoor experiences help students increase their understanding of their natural and human communities which leads to a sense of place. Through connection to place, students develop stronger environmental attitudes and civic behaviors. Outdoors learning experiences are the foundation of raising the next generation of active citizens who take care of their natural and human communities.Outdoor learning connects families and the community to the school. Outdoor classrooms provide natural entry points for families and community members to get involved with student learning. The relationships developed through outdoor learning lead to greater parental and community involvement in and support for the school