Nature Preschool Program
BASIC FACTS/STRUCTURE (see the rest of the page for more details)
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Ages of Students: 2.5 - 6
Number of Students: 6+ each day (cap at 9)
Student-Teacher Ratio: Never more than 5 - 1
Session: 12 weeks (March 5 - May 24)
Class Days: Tuesday and Thursday (Our program is 2 days per week, so you are signing up for both. We will consider single day participants and/or open up additional days if interest is there)
Class Hours: 8 - 12
Instructional Hours: 8:30 - 11:30
Drop-off/Pick-up/Free Play: 8:00 - 8:30 and 11:30 - 12:00
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Fees: $2,000 for the 12 week session
Our Students:
We are looking for families who would like their little ones to explore, connect and grow with us in nature. We are hoping the majority of our students will fall into the 3 - 5 age range. We will open it up to 2.5 year olds if we believe that they can keep up with the older kids, so please evaluate your little one's ability to keep up both physically (walking, running, climbing, etc) and in their communication skills if they are on the younger side. We will have portable toilets and ask that the students be potty trained (again we would be willing to make exceptions if students are working on this still). We will also open up to 6 year olds who may not have gone the traditional route of a mainstream kindergarten and would like to join our play-based nature program, Please reach out if you have any questions or would like your little one to join our program even if they may not fit these parameters...we would like to be open to all!
In order for our program to run successfully, we will need to have at least 5 students each day. We can accommodate up to 9 students, but that will be the minimum needed.
Our Location:
While our exact location has not yet been determined, we are looking at parks, trails and outdoor space in the Oak Park area.
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No matter the location, the entirety of the program will be outdoors. We will have a home base each day that has a shaded area (natural or a pop-up), a space for all of our materials and circle time, a portable toddler toilet and privacy tent (unless there are restrooms on site). If it has the potential to rain, we will make sure to set up a large covered, dry area.
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On our walks, we will ask students to bring a small backpack/bag that contains their snacks and to put any learning resources they will need for the day (it will not be much, we know our students are little ones!!). Each day at school they will need to have a change of clothes, shoes and a towel (in case of getting wet and muddy, even on dry days as we may bring in water for water and mud play). If there is the potential for rain, they should have a rain jacket or poncho, rain boots, warm clothes, and as always a change of clothes. We will run rain or shine. The only time we will cancel class is if the weather poses a danger to our group (excessive rain or lightning). We will go over all of the things you will need to know in terms of clothing and things to pack with your little one well before classes start!
Instructional Time 8:30 - 11:30
Our instructional hours will be from 8:30 - 11:30. We are of course play-based, exploration-based, and student-led, so this is just a general structure. Our basic timetable will look something like this...
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8:30 - 8:45: Morning Circle time: Connect to each other and our natural space, introduction for the day, stories, songs; etc…
8:45 - 10:00: Walk/Hike/Explore (engage in student-led exploration, discussions, and academic-related activities on the way). Could be near home-base or on a longer walk/hike.
10:00 - 10:15: Snack on location (family to provide own snack)
10:15 - 11:15: Activities connected to our exploration (pre-reading, pre-writing, math, art, science related activities based on our morning introduction and children's explorations)
11:15 - 11:30: Closing Circle

Drop-off/Pick-up and Free Play Time 8:00 - 8:30 and 11:30 - 12:00
While our entire day is play-based and student-led, this will be "free" play for the students as they arrive for the day and are waiting to be picked up. This will either be at a playground (if at a park) or games/activities near our home base if no playground is available.

Days of Instruction: Tuesday and Thursday
When signing up for our program, you will be signing up for both Tuesday and Thursday classes. If you would prefer only a single day, please reach out and we will accommodate as we are able (we need 5 students coming both days before we can open up to single day students). We are also open to adding days to our schedule, so if our program is of interest but you would prefer a different day(s), please reach out and we can fill up classes as the interest arises.
