Mission
The Mission of little earthlings forest school is to provide an emotionally and physically responsible learning environment for children and parents alike,
where each person’s journey is welcomed,
where respect for each person’s ideas are valued,
where opportunities to make connections with the earth and with each other are provided,
where conflict and disagreement are understood to be a natural process of growth,
where clarity, discovery of self, community and communication are supported,
and where each person’s trail is followed with curiosity, wonder, eagerness and anticipation on our ways to discovering how we learn how to learn.
our philosophy,
“The Heartwood”
The first five years of human development are like the heartwood of a tree. During this time 90% of your child’s brain development occurs at a staggering rate. The foundational framework for self identity, self esteem and our ability to connect and maintain relationships for the rest of our lives is formed during this short window of time!
As preschool teachers we enjoy the great honor and responsibility of supporting children through these years. This is the time to create happy memories, when concepts of self, society, and the world are being formed.
Memories formed in nature through unstructured play, become fused, imprinted and associated with the natural world they take place in. In this way, we are providing a double benefit, for the well-being of the child and the earth.
This approach to early childhood education and child development accords with the latest research showing that children can learn far more through unstructured play than grown ups can explicitly teach them at this age.
At little earthlings, we are all too aware that soon unstructured play (which is code for brain development, physical and emotional strengthening, innovation, creativity, wonder, discovery, exploration, risk taking, adventure, and self directed experimentation) will be replaced with the institutional world of rules, obedience, behaviorism (rewards and punishments) and expectations that prioritize the institution over the child. Therefore it becomes all the more urgent that we provide opportunities to foster a genuine love of learning through authentic experiences and meaningful journeys for these little earthlings now.
We are honored to be the guardians and curators of this brief, special window of experience.
For 90 years humans have been creating preschool models in order to evolve the species.
Unlike those noble models that come from human minds, unstructured play out of doors provides direct experience with the Universal “mind,” which imparts a knowledge and wisdom well beyond the conveyance of humans. As it turns out, after all of that science and well intentioned inquiry, everything a little earthling requires to thrive exists in the natural world. Children key into this instantaneously discovering that their,
Physical
Emotional
Sensorial
Intellectual and,
Spiritual
needs are met in ways that no indoor program could ever anticipate. Children are encouraged to play in the mud, splash in puddles, go barefooted, use adult tools, and build strength, confidence and stamina, through honoring their natural impulses to learn, explore and discover. In other words, they are encouraged to trust themselves, and that their line of inquiry is in harmony and equilibrium with where they are and where they should be on all levels of development. This approach is in accordance with developmental principles that scientifically prove this is how young children learn.
Unstructured does not mean unsupported. All Behavior Is Communication. Sometimes children attempt to get their needs met by using the few tools available to them, (hitting, biting, pushing, screaming, spitting, yelling, etc.) They do this not because they are “mean” but because it is the quickest way they know to accomplish the task. That is when we step in to support and guide them. We do not use shaming, threats, bribes, betrayal, abandonment, or make unrealistic or unhelpful demands when working with conflict resolution. We provide them with the communication skills they lack in that moment, very often offering the exact words that can be used.
Can I have a turn when you're done?
I’ll let you know when I’m ready.
I need some space.
Can you let me know when you're ready?
When you order me it makes me feel like this...
When you ask me (instead of ordering me) I want to help as much as I can.
When you say the words, "Excuse me," adults pay attention right away, etc..."
The name “little earthlings” is a constant reminder that these children are new to this planet and to our society, and should be supported accordingly.
~David Calabrese