Curriculum

While our curriculum is not specifically Waldorf or Forest school based, those philosophies are used as inspiration for our own curriculum. We take various curriculums and select what we think our students would be most interested in. We focus on learning through play, arts, and nature. We utilize neuroaffirming practices to empower our students and foster a growth mindset.

We adjust learning goals to meet the students’ needs rather than rigid curriculum. Our schedule can change and be fluid. For example, if our students are really enjoying a unit of study, we can adjust our schedule to expand on that subject for another week. We can curate the schedule to support our students based on the flow of their interests and needs. That said, we also make sure our students are meeting the state’s common core goals and take time to evaluate with our student’s family team to make sure those are goals that students are ready to meet. Academic skills are encouraged so that they can be tools for empowerment and bring joy through learning.

The benefit of having a small, nature inspired school is that we can complete our learning outdoors and spend less time focused specifically on academics. While a standard school will spend most of the day seated and learning, we are able to provide shorter and more impactful time of learning. For example, while hiking on the beach, we can pause and do an math or writing activity in the sand. In a large class setting, when a few students are not progressing, they are either left behind or the whole class needs to continue to engage in lessons on the subject. With a smaller cohort, we are able to identify when students are struggling and why they are struggling. Then we can take some time to focus on that in an organic way that supports all students.