Preschool in the Woods: A Look Inside a Denver Forest Kindergarten

In the Unconventional Guide to Improving Handwriting Skills, I set out on a small task that suddenly consumed me with overwhelming information, research and expert opinions on why unstructured outdoor play and loose parts for toys were really the foundation of fine motor skills.

After all my research, I was very excited to find that a new forest kindergarten is going to be opening up in my own town of Denver!

Preschool in the Woods: A look inside a Denver forest kindergarten

I was lucky enough to be able to interview the director, Megan Patterson to find more about exactly what goes on at a forest kindergarten and why it might be the best early childhood preparation for our kids today.

Megan shares with us:

  • Her passion behind forest schools
  • Why children should play outside in ALL weather
  • A typical day for forest school students
  • The unique ecological curriculum
  • The significant advantages of forest schools (over traditional preschools)

Worldmind LogoI hope you enjoy this exclusive interview and if you’re local Denver/Boulder – consider checking the school out! More detailed information about the school for Colorado residents is at the end of this article.

1. What inspired you to found WorldMind Nature Immersion School?

From my teaching experiences, having a child, and my extensive research on learning and development…

I feel that it is imperative that schools turn their focus toward other areas of learning and not just focus on academics. We need to start teaching to the whole-child, especially at the preschool level.

Teaching elementary aged children English in the country of Jordan; teaching kindergarten out of a trailer in one of the poorest areas of Denver, Colorado; teaching second grade in a small Eskimo village in Alaska; staying home to raise my now two-year-old son; and…

having a whole new educational world opened up to me through the Ecological Teaching and Learning Master of Science program at Lesley University has brought me to the type of learning environment that I can honestly say, for the first time, I believe whole-heartedly in and desire to bring to the wonderful state that I grew up exploring.

Megan Patterson and her 2 year old son in Twin Lakes, CO
Megan Patterson and her 2 year old son in Twin Lakes, CO

Because of what I have learned teaching in a variety of settings and cultures, I have become discouraged by the public school system.

I feel that there is an inadequate understanding of what constitutes learning, which has lead to limited time for unstructured activities and time outside of school walls.

With budget concerns and the demand for high-test scores, important developmental activities like recess, physical education, music, and art are being cut from schools and daycare facilities.

The recent shift to the indoors in both school and at home is causing children to not have adequate time to engage with nature or their community, which in turn, is having an impact on young children’s development as well as the environment.

2. Would it ever be too cold, too wet or too hot for kids to be outside? 

Playing outside in all different types of weather is an important part of our program. It is an imperative learning process that many children do not get the chance to experience because of the recent shift to more indoor activities.

Kids should play in all weather...

This recent shift to more indoor play has been linked to technology, a fear of the outdoors, weather concerns, and pressure for more academics and it is having an impact on children’s physical and mental health.

The National Wildlife Federation (2013) found that, “one-third of children and adolescents are overweight or obese; 5.4 million U.S. kids are currently diagnosed with ADHD, with a 22% increase
between 2003 and 2007 alone; 7.6 million U.S.
children are vitamin D deficient, and the use of antidepressants in pediatric patients has risen sharply” (p. 3).

If children are properly dressed and prepared for the weather that day, it will never be too wet, cold, or hot to be outside.

However, for safety purposes we will use the National Weather Service Heat Index Chart and Wind Chill Chart to determine how long we will be out on cold and hot days. It will also be important that children are properly dressed on these days.

caption
Kids Fishing Where Megan Taught in Stebbins, AK

I taught in a small village in northwestern Alaska where the temperature was often below 0 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter. The children in the village would play outside all winter.

I often went running and hiking in temperatures up to -45 degrees Fahrenheit. Through my experiences in these extreme cold conditions I found certain brands of clothing that worked well in these temperatures. They are listed on our website under safety.

UAE desert sands

Another one of our teachers, Erin Philip Eaton, taught in the UAE where temperatures in the summer often got to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. She has recommendations for being outside in extreme heat that is also listed on our website under safety.

If children have the proper attire and are able to stay dry on wet days, then they will stay warm enough to play outside for several hours.

3. How does the experience and training of your teachers differ from traditional early childhood teachers?

We have a very diverse staff that has experience teaching in a variety of different areas and cultures. The majority of our staff members have or are working on a Master’s degree in ecological teaching, environmental education or early childhood development. And all staff members will be required to be wilderness first aid certified.

4. Can you explain the curriculum and the role of the teacher?

This year, the Worldmind curriculum will connect adults and young children (ages 3 – 6) to the dynamic ecological systems in Colorado through a series of season-based units that prescribe carefully crafted learning experiences.

This pedagogy will help children and families address past, present and future ecological issues, and will enhance their understanding of an interconnected ecological system. Our curriculum is research-based and provides developmentally appropriate activities in nature so that children and their families can master and integrate ecological awareness into their lives.

5. What is a Forest Kindergarten?

waldkindergarten

Forest kindergartens also referred to as forest schools or Waldkindergartens, are schools designed for young children to spend their days learning and exploring in natural settings in all different types of weather.

Children are encouraged to play, explore and learn in a natural environment.

6. What is Emergent Curriculum?

emergent curriculum

Emergent curriculum focuses on the process of learning that emerges from the children. It is designed to be open-ended and self-directed in order to meet the needs and interests of every child. It relies on teacher initiative and student’s intrinsic motivation.

The components of an emergent curriculum are: children’s interests, teachers’ interests, developmental tasks, things in the physical environment, people in the social environment, curriculum resource materials, unexpected events, living together: conflict resolution, caregiving, and routines, values help in the school and community, family and culture.

7. Are students working on math and literacy skills in a forest kindergarten?

Yes, in each lesson we will incorporate various literacies, scientific concepts, mathematical thinking, and geography.

7. What does a typical day look like for a student?

8:30-8:45 Free exploration, greet families, and make sure children are adequately dressed for the activity that day.

8:45-9:15 Circle Time – storytelling (oral and print), songs, calendar and weather, yoga

9:15-11:30 Ecology lesson and nature exploration – Each lesson will follow the seasons as well as the weather for that day. The lessons are designed to connect each child to the world around them through targeted interactions using various literacies, scientific concepts, mathematical thinking, and geography.

Click here to see the full curriculum and schedule for 2015!

7. What benefits does a forest kindergarten have that you would not get in a typical preschool?

Forest kindergartens have proven to support many developmentally appropriate skills for children ages two through six and are quickly spreading across western cultures. A number of different studies have shown that direct exposure to nature is imperative to young children’s development, as well as to their physical and mental health.

The forest kindergarten movement is taking off because parents and educators are starting to recognize the unmistakable benefits of this type of education on children’s development.

Research focusing on the development of young children in forest kindergartens compared to traditional early childhood daycare facilities have found significant advantages of forest school programs that include:

advantages of forest schools

(Borradaile, 2006)

8. Are students from a forest kindergarten prepared for a public 1st grade classroom?

Play in natural settings can provide rich, diverse, multisensory experiences that can enhance young children’s development in a number of ways (Hewes, 2006).

The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) released a report in 2010 that examines the ways unstructured daily outdoor play nurtures children’s minds, bodies and spirits, and according to Louv (2008) recent studies show that experiences in nature can reduce the symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), improve cognitive abilities, and help reduce stress and depression.

The National Wildlife Federation (2013) also found that children who play outdoors tend to have a healthier body weight, have better vision, and a higher level of vitamin D. Extended amounts of time playing outdoors can help develop empathy, help children have better attention spans, and enhance critical thinking skills (National Wildlife Federation, 2013).classroom

There are numerous life long benefits to allowing young children the freedom to learn and grow in a natural environment and in developmentally appropriate ways.

However, studies have shown that children who enter a traditional educational setting after attending a forest school are slightly behind their peers academically in 1st grade, but that they catch up and even surpass them by 3rd grade because they have learned the necessary social and emotional skills to be life long learners.

9.What happens after? Are there similar type elementary school programs to forest Kindergartens?

The forest kindergarten model was designed for children ages 2.5 through 6. However, many forest school programs throughout the United States have also incorporated programs for school-aged children. This is something we would like to eventually incorporate as well.

For Denver/Boulder Metro Area Residents

Boulder

Where will the school be located? Do you plan on having a campus and what will that look like?

Like many forest kindergartens and nature schools throughout the United States, Canada and Europe, we are seeking to start the program in city and state parks. We have a variety of different locations picked out in Boulder, Denver, and Morrison. Our exact locations are still to be determined and will only be released to registered families for security purposes.

Update May 2015: As Worldmind Nature Immersion School continues to work on establishing a forest kindergarten in Colorado, for 2015, they would like to offer you and your family ecology classes based on the forest kindergarten educational model.

Their highly diverse teaching staff will not only guide you in nature and science based activities with your child, they will also teach you about the forest kindergarten philosophy in the hope that they will be able to get a bill passed and expand our program within a year or two.

How does tuition compare to other Denver Metro preschools?

Our tuition rates are slightly under the average preschool tuition in Colorado.

How can families get involved and enroll their kids?

We will be hosting family meeting nights for both the Denver and Boulder locations during the week of June 7, 2015. Families will be able to register for our introduction week (beginning on August 3, 2015) during these nights. Please visit our website and Facebook page for more details. 

Is a forest kindergarten for you?

forest k

As a an early childhood educator myself, who is a big fan of less testing, more unstructured play and letting kids have voice and choice in their own education – I’ve still really just been confined to the traditional classroom space.

Part of me worries about traditional methods and materials in the classroom like shelves of books, dramatic play (dolls, dress up, home corner) and environmental print labeling items with words in the classroom.

However, I know my daughter is happiest and and so engaged when she is outside – so I am very excited to see how this school unfolds!

What are your thoughts?

Do you think kids are best prepared for the future by sending them to a forest kindergarten? Why or why not?

 

Image credit: Till Westermayer, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, dymtrok, Matthew Paulson, vastateparkstaff, Les Haines, Philippe Put

Imagination & Storytelling in Childhood: An Interview with NY Times Bestselling Author Jackie Urbanovic

“There are no mistakes… there are just experiments.” – Jackie Urbanovic

Jackie Urbanovic, New York Times Bestselling Author and Illustrator offers some powerful messages we can share with children.

Interview with Jackie Urbanovic

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meet Jackie! You may know her from her popular Duck series:

Jackie writes and illustrates her own children’s books as well as illustrates for other authors.

When I first began to dabble in illustration back in 2011, I discovered that this bestselling author and illustrator lived right in my backyard!

I was lucky enough to meet up with Jackie, have her critique my work and even receive some drawing lessons in her studio. Talk about inspiring!

In this exclusive interview, Jackie shares her ideas on how we can help children develop not only a love of reading, but a passion for storytelling, confidence, perseverance and compassion.

First meet Jackie as she talks about the childhood of a NY Times bestselling author and where she gets her story ideas and inspiration.

Then learn about how Jackie hopes to impact children and her advice to parents:

  • How to get kids excited about reading and writing
  • Why children need to write and draw their own stories
  • The importance of making mistakes and problem solving skills

Besides being an artist myself, I find Jackie’s work and life story inspiring as a mother, teacher and lover of children’s books.

Meet Jackie – Where you always an artist?

“Yes.  I always drew.  My first memory of drawing is somewhere around 3 years old. I was never a prodigy—I think my early drawings look pretty much like any other child’s drawings.

Although—when I show some of my childhood drawings to elementary age students during my school visits, they think the drawings are amazing. This always surprises me.

I have no idea why I felt so compelled to draw, I was just born with an ongoing desire to make things. My family is full of storytellers, so I know that my desire to tell stories came from them.”

Childhood Drawing of Jackie's
Childhood Drawing of Jackie’s

Is being an artist innate? How did you develop your skills?

“I found an art teacher on the internet, Martin Bartel. I was taken with his ideas because he sees drawing as a learned skill rather than a talent someone is born with. This goes against the common myth that only some of us have the talent to draw.  

The skill of drawing is in our eyes, our ability to observe, as much as it is in our hands. Many children/people need to be taught how to observe the world around them so that they can put it on paper.  

A few figure it out on their own and that makes them stand out from the rest. I guess I was one of those that figured it out on my own.

I clearly remember one day when I was maybe 13. I looked at someone’s head and noticed that the back of it was rounded. ROUNDED. In my drawings I’d always made the backs of people’s heads flat. It was like waking from a dream. It was a revelation that changed all the drawings I did from that point onward. I think of that as an example of learning to observe on my own.”

What role did your family play in your career?

“It also helped that my family saw me as an artist. They were always pleased to have one of my drawings. My Mom critiqued my drawings so I could make them better.

And my parents didn’t try to stop me from becoming a professional artist because it was financially risky. They believed in my passion and thought I should, of course, follow that path. They encouraged me to go to art school and they paid for me to attend.

I feel very lucky and blessed that my entire family encouraged me so much. It was only later in my career that I met people whose parents forbid them from pursuing art because they thought it was a crazy idea. I thought it was normal for your parents to want you to follow your dreams.”

What was your childhood like?

Young Jackie as Cowgirl
Jackie as Young Girl

“My childhood…….We lived in a rural area, in a small village of homes that were built on the shores of Lake Erie in Michigan. I was a quiet, shy kid.

I only had a couple of friends who lived within walking or biking distance, so I spent a lot of time playing by myself.

Of course, I drew a lot. I also made up stories and playacted them. A lot of cowboys, gangsters  and sometimes family dramas. When I played alone, I acted out all of the parts. I even had shoot outs with myself.

I also swam, read, drew and watched lots of old movies on television with my Mom. She adored the movies from her youth——from the silent films to the films of the 1940’s—and she introduced them to me.

My cousins from Detroit visited regularly. They were my favorite playmates. My Mother’s family were all great oral storytellers and comedians. They loved to laugh and to make others laugh. I think they inspired my desire to tell funny stories.”

Where do you get your ideas?  What inspires you?

“Inspiration and story ideas are all around us all of the time. It just takes cultivating another form of observation to notice them. I take note of funny lines people say and write them down. I see an interesting name of a city or street and write it down.

I love to take walks, to explore new places. Exploring gives me ideas. When I’m in bed I sometimes think about stories as a way to amuse myself as I’m falling asleep. That’s how I came up with the idea for my story Duck Soup.

The idea for Duck at the Door and all the Max books came from a conversation about a woman named Irene who really has rescued and adopted bunches of dogs, cats and rabbits.  I keep files of all of my ideas so that I can go back to them when I’m ready to make them into a full blown story.”

Jackie also talked about how sometimes she hits roadblocks. She was working on one story for a very long time, that despite many edits and revisions, her agent continued to have lots of questions and concerns about. When she finally set the story aside, another idea just “fell” into her head. This latest story Prince of a Frog will be published by Scholastic spring 2015.

Illustration from "Prince of a Frog"
Illustration from “Prince of a Frog”

What is your advice for parents?

How can you get kids excited about reading & writing?

1. Read to your child.

Enjoying stories as a child builds a love of reading in an adult. I’d suggest reading with your children. Let them read to you as well (or paraphrase the story for you, if they are too young to read.) Sharing stories is not only great entertainment, it really brings people close to each other.”

2. “Listen to children when they make up their own stories.”

“Listening and enjoying their stories shows them that all stories are valuable; that they and their ideas are valuable.”

3. “Just let them read.”

“As an author, I hear that parents are pushing their children to read above their level. I say just let them read. Read books under, at and above their level. Introduce them to books and characters but don’t add stress and status to it by making it a competition.”

4. Share your love of reading with your child.

“I remember my Mom telling me about when she was a teenager. She was sitting up in bed at night, reading Dracula. She was absolutely too terrified to sleep and  too compelled by the story to stop reading, which made her more scared. She absolutely loved it. Her love of reading impacted me. I saw reading as valuable because she did. And she made me laugh by telling me her stories about it.”

Why is storytelling so important in childhood?

Why do kids need to write and draw their own stories?

Childhood Art of Jackie's
Childhood Art of Jackie’s

“The reality is that we are all storytellers. Human beings live and breathe stories. It’s how we learn, how we pass on our experiences, how we entertain each other.

And when we’re children, there is so much in our lives that is out of our control. We are small and others are big. Others make the decisions for us. We don’t understand a lot of what is going on with the adults in our lives.

Writing and/or drawing stories is a way to have some control over our experiences. To rewrite, to undo our mistakes. To express our fears and joys. To make each other laugh. What power! What freedom! Anything can happen in your stories.

You can write about your life or take yourself to the moon. And the bonus is that others LIKE to hear them. Storytelling comes naturally to kids. Leading them to writing or drawing those stories opens the world for them, I think. It did for me.”

How do you hope to impact children?

What do you hope people gain from reading your books?

“There are no mistakes… there are just experiments.”

“When I visit schools,  I want to make the students laugh, of course. I want them to see that their ideas are valuable. I hope to show them that play and work are not so different from each other.

I want to show them that we each need to make mistakes. NEED to. Artists are like scientists. Where a scientist experiments with chemicals or DNA, artists experiment with ideas, line, color.

There are no mistakes in the negative sense of the word. There are just experiments. And with each experiment we learn something that takes us closer to the solution, whether it’s a new medicine or a great story.

And this ability to use your imagination to solve problems is a life skill we can all use. I hope they are able to take in even one of these things from my visit.”

“We can all benefit from being compassionate and forgiving.”

“If I could, I’d like to pass on the idea that we all benefit from being compassionate and forgiving. I am so pained by the needless cruelty in the world.

Being compassionate is no more difficult than being mean or thoughtless. And the outcomes are so vastly different. I hope someday I can come up with a way to show that compassion is a cool idea.”

Of all your work what are you most proud of?

What books were the most fun?

“I think the answer to both of those questions is the books I’ve both written and illustrated.

Duck at the Door, Duck Soup, Duck and Cover, Sitting Duck and Prince of a Frog (coming Spring 2015)
Duck at the Door, Duck Soup, Duck and Cover, Sitting Duck & Prince of a Frog (coming Spring 2015)

I adore creating the entire book, word and pictures both. It’s like working a puzzle to find the answer. It’s a fun problem to solve. I love tweaking the words and pictures to make them come together for a good laugh.”

What’s getting you excited these days?

“I’m reading a lot about the power of story: Joseph Campbell’s writing on Mythologies, Vivian Gussin Paley’s books about her kindergarten students and their stories, Mem Fox’s books about teaching, Jonathan Gottschall’s The Storytelling Animal.

I’m seeing how much story has impacted my life—reading stories, hearing stories, writing and drawing stories. Creating a story is first of all fun. But it also becomes a form of therapy because you re-examine your own life to find more ideas.

I’m writing a story about myself and my father right now. It’s the first time I’m trying to write a serious story and it’s a challenge. I do hope it is published someday, but even if it isn’t, the remembering, the writing, the forgiving involved, is enough.

I am changed by every story I write, whether or not it is ever published.”

Interested in Meeting Jackie?

In addition to being an author and illustrator, Jackie does presentations for libraries, schools and conferences. Want her to come to your school? Visit her website or send her an email.

Jackie Performaing

Thank you so much for sharing Jackie! I look forward to reading your new book coming this Spring 2015 – Prince of a Frog