Our K/1 Forest Program
Our Forest Classroom is home to our mixed-age Kindergarten/First Grade students.
Why Forest School?
Why do we spend so much time outside — even in the winter?
Just like play, time in nature has been proven to support children’s health, development, and learning. The outdoors offers endless opportunities for movement, discovery, and calm — and research shows it even helps with academic growth.
Here are just a few reasons we take learning outside in all seasons:
Strengthens the immune system
Boosts mood and supports healthy sleep
Helps prevent nearsightedness
Builds focus, comprehension, and brain growth
Improves motor skills and strengthens core muscles for reading and writing
Lowers stress and supports emotional well-being
At Forest School, children grow strong, curious, and connected — to nature, to learning, and to themselves.
Click here to see weekly classroom updates in our Bulletin Blog
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Click here to see weekly classroom updates in our Bulletin Blog 〰️
What do our days look like?
Each day in our K/1 Forest Classroom follows familiar routines, but what we do often changes based on the weather, the children’s interests, and what the forest offers. We keep transitions to a minimum and give students long stretches of time to explore, play, and work on projects they care about.
Teachers act as guides, mentors, and co-learners — supporting children as they follow their curiosity, make decisions, and grow as thinkers and doers.
What about Literacy and STEM?
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At Center School, we believe strong literacy skills start with joyful, hands-on learning — and that great reading habits can grow right alongside a love of the woods and play.
In our Kindergarten/First Grade Forest Program, students build early reading skills in short, frequent bursts throughout the day, rather than sitting for long stretches. One moment they might be playing listening games to build sound awareness, and later, they might be reading an engaging, phonics-based story in a small group.
We use a mix of proven programs — like Heggerty, as well as elements of an explicit, sequential, multi-sensory phonics program — to help children connect letters and sounds, recognize patterns, and gain confidence as readers. Our daily “morning message” gives students the chance to practice decoding in a real and meaningful way, while also learning from one another.
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In Forest School, math and science come to life through real, hands-on experiences. Whether we’re building forts, organizing firewood, or exploring under a microscope, students are constantly asking questions, testing ideas, and solving problems.
We offer regular activities that spark curiosity and build skills in counting, measuring, estimating, comparing, and collecting data. For example, students might vote on tea flavors, measure their finger knitting over time, or count and graph how many steps it takes to get from base camp to their hammock.
With tools like microscopes, levers, planks, and mud bricks, our outdoor classroom becomes a space for discovery. Our teachers use thoughtful resources such as Wild Math, Choral Counting & Counting Collections by Megan L. Franke, Elham Kazemi, and Angela Chan Turrou and Doing What Scientists Do by Ellen Doris, to guide students in thinking like mathematicians and scientists — all while playing, building, and exploring the natural world.
Click here to read a bulletin blog all about math integration in the forest!