Our playground is made of natural elements, mud, sand, water, sticks, and filled with climbing structures, swings, and places to dig, rake, and build. We are outside in all seasons, learning through movement and discovery.

Children engage in:

• Stick play, which encourages social connection, imaginative play, early writing, and problem-solving
• Loose parts play using open-ended materials like rocks, logs, stumps, and rope, ideal for engineering, creative thinking, and counting
• Mud kitchen activities, where children stir, scoop, pour, and mix with natural materials to explore properties of matter and storytelling language
• Climbing, swinging, and balancing to build strength, coordination, and confidence

This is where children experience first-hand the joy of exploration, physical challenge, and collaboration in a natural setting.

Our learning extends into the neighborhood and local environment, what we call our “Beyond Classroom”:

• Walking the trails behind the Historical Society
• Visiting the fire station
• Mapping their steps through the woods
• Exploring marshlands or digging in the sand along the shore

These off-campus experiences help children:

• Strengthen gross motor and balance skills
• Develop mapping, observation, and directional language
• Build persistence, curiosity, and real-world connections to nature
• Practice safe walking routines using the walk rope and listening skills

By connecting classroom learning with the wider world, we encourage our students to become thoughtful explorers who see nature as both a playground and a teacher.