Environment

Wonderforest is comprised of five classrooms, a dedicated indoor space for water and mud play, and a forest green space complete with a climbing hill dedicated to physical movement and active play. Children will spend time outdoors each day, with trips to neighborhood green spaces and regular extended time spent in Prospect Park each week. In the event of dangerous weather such as lightning, high winds, and extreme cold, we will remain indoors.

Teachers at Wonderforest are unique in their strengths, hold a respect for each child’s experience and learning style, honor and support each child’s emotional development, and hold a passion for the natural world and outdoor education. Each class will consist of a team of two teachers, supported by our director, administrative staff, and floating support teachers. Music, movement, and art will be offered to each class weekly.

Our curriculum is inquiry-based and child led, drawing heavily upon the interests of each child. Teachers act as guides and researchers of the children’s ideas; supporting each child and encouraging them to take their ideas further with intuitive questioning, experimenting, and exploring. Drawing from the Reggio Emilia and Forest School philosophies, Wonderforest places emphasis on the learning process, not the end product. We celebrate the value of child engagement in a specific project or activity, not just what they may create as a result. We understand that all children are unique and have differing needs. For this reason, our teachers are trained to approach each child with a knowledge and a respect for their individuality. At Wonderforest, we know that children who are encouraged at a young age to explore, question, and create, inherently develop the emergent math, science, and literacy skills they need for success later in life.

• Working and playing together in groups, taking care of each other, building respect, awareness, and kindness towards ourselves and the environment

• Counting buckets of rocks, collecting and sorting acorns from different oak trees,  and measuring rope to stretch from one tree to another

• Hoisting sticks in the air, wearing flower and leaf crowns, dressing up with fabric scraps, turning trees into castles and logs into subway trains, and mixing up mud and grass soup to serve to your guests

• Examining and identifying trees through collecting fruits, fallen leaves, and bark, using compasses, flashlights, and binoculars, chasing shadows, seeing what floats or sinks in a puddle, growing and caring for plants, and digging up and holding wriggling, slimy worms

• Stories under the trees, drawing and writing in our nature journals, and brainstorming descriptive words to describe a ooey, gooey, slimy, squishy, wet, cold, smooth, brown, heavy, handful of mud

• Mixing and grinding natural paints from flowers and plants, twisting and tying sticks together to make a fairy house, and sticking leaves, twigs, and acorns into molded clay sculptures

• Drumming rocks and sticks on a fallen logs, creating silly songs while we hike or wash our hands, and listening, repeating and identifying birds by their song

• Running up and down a hill or balancing on a log or rock, creating awareness, physical challenge, and agility (as every tree, log and rock in nature is unique)

• Building with sticks, rocks, and colored bottle caps

• Outdoor learning is FREEDOM and EMPOWERMENT.

Our standard day runs from 9am-3pm, with options for early bird drop off from 8am-9am, and extended day aftercare from 3pm-6pm. Families may choose to attend two days (Tuesday & Thursday), three days (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) or five days (Monday-Friday) a week.

A typical day at Wonderforest

8:00AM- 9:00am Early bird drop-off

9:00am - 9:30am Drop off and morning meeting

9:30am - 12:00pm On days when we will take extended outdoor trips, we will venture outdoors first thing in the morning, after arrival. These extended outdoor trips will typically be to explore Prospect Park

9:30am - 11:00am On days when we will not have extended outdoor time, this time will be spent in the classroom, focusing on open play and exploration, with time for morning snack built in. Teachers will set out invitations for play in the classroom, as well as our communal messy play area and our forest green physical play area. Loose parts, recycled materials, open-ended toys, books, fabric, sticks, rocks, and sensory areas containing water, mud, and other interactive materials will be set up as invitations to play. All kinds of child-directed play is invited, with emphasis placed on the care of ourselves, others, and our environment during our activities.

11:00am - 12:00pm Outdoor time (for those groups who began the day with indoor play)

12:00pm - 12:30pm Lunchtime (this will sometimes be outdoors, if it is an extended outdoor day)

12:30pm - 1:30pm Rest or nap time. Depending on your child’s needs, they will either take a nap or rest quietly with books, gentle music, or meditations.

1:30pm - 1:45pm Brief afternoon meeting where teachers will go over the activity offerings for the afternoon, which includes inviting children to continue working on any projects they started before lunch.

1:45pm - 2:45pm Free play & continuing work on projects from before lunch; possibly another outdoor time in this time frame as well, based on what the children are interested in, as well as time for gardening and school plant care.

2:45pm - 3:00pm Cleanup and goodbye circle

3:00pm - 6:00pm Extended day--Snack will be offered at 3pm. Afterwards there will be ample outside time (weather permitting). Children will be provided with opportunities for free play and mindful activities.