FAQ
How many children are in each class?
There is a 1:8 educator to child ratio for our programs. We want our students to easily connect to our educators, and keeping small class sizes allows our pack to feel united, and allows our educators to provide a safe and happy learning environment for each child.
Is there an indoor space for the students?
No. We are a 100% outdoor immersion program, and children will be outside for the entirety of their program. We will visit the animals in the barn in our winter programs, but the barn is simply a place to visit, not to stay.
What about safety and risk?
Risk is an inherent part of homesteading life. Working with unpredictable livestock always carries risk, but our educators will communicate rules, and procedures to the students each and every week and will supervise each interaction with the farm animals with the utmost of attention.
Farm & forest school includes working with sharp tools, and fire in an environment that is constantly changing. Again, strict rules and procedures will be practiced for the safety of the students.
The natural playground that our land offers can come with risk too. Our educators will do site assessments preceding each class, but more than that, they will teach the children to be aware of their surroundings so that the children can assess risk themselves.
If students cannot abide by the rules that are put in place to protect them then they will not be allowed to participate in our programs.
What does a typical half day look like?
1:30 pm Arrival, attendance, gear check & hike to forest
1:45 pm Welcome Circle
2:00 pm Site Assessment & Play
3:30 pm Snack & Story
3:45 pm Free Play and/or Forest/Garden/Animal lesson
4:15 pm Reflection Time & Hike back to pick-up area
4:30pm Departure
What is Waldorf?
Waldorf Education is a holistic educational model created by Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner.
"Waldorf education holds as its primary intention the ideal of bringing forth—in every child—his or her unique potential in a way that serves the further development of humanity. The curriculum, pedagogy, and teaching methods are designed to nurture this potential" - AWSNA
At our school we are inspired by Steiner education and use his teachings to guide us as we plan and implement our programs.