An Overview
"The best preparation for being a happy and useful adult is to live fully as a child" ~Plowden Report
For the past seventeen years, the Pine Forest Kindergartens have been nurturing and enriching the lives of children and parents who know that this precious time is one for fostering a joy for learning, as well as reverence for each other and our world. Currently our school has two Kindergarten classes taught by founding members of our school, Ms. Polack and Ms. Taylor and their experienced assistants.
Research on child development shows that children zero to three years old learn more during this time period than they will the rest of their lives. In order to support parents and children of this age ,an early childhood program for children three to four years old has been established. This program is lead by a long time early childhood teacher Kate Mereck and an assistant.
All of our programs for young children recognize that children under the age of seven learn by imitation. Therefore we strive to provide a program worthy of imitation. Classrooms are created that are home- like ,beautiful, healthful, nurturing, comforting and enriching. Activities are planned to encourage language, mathematical, artistic, scientific , physical and social development. Singing, imaginative play, painting and cooking , handwork and fairytales are presented each week. Children experience nature and the seasons first hand through daily outdoor activities, climbing trees, digging in the sand and mud, planting, harvesting and caring for our outdoor space. Indoors, the seasonal rhythms are repeated in verses, songs and stories thus building the child’s foundation in the language arts through oral tradition. Creative play is enlivened through the use of simple toys handmade from natural material. Underlying all is a supportive daily rhythm which includes a nutritional snack and a small quiet rest.
Joyful learning, harmony, a sense of peace and order prevail under the loving eye of your child’s teachers as he/she begins this school experience.