“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” — Lao Tzu
DTE Elementary Pedagogy
DTE Forest School in Theory
A decade may go by before the earth turns over rich new soil, just as we take a long and slow approach to cultivating grounded young adults. Observation of seasonal cycles through celebration and ceremony are markers in time providing children with a touchstone that carries them through to adulthood.
Daily, weekly, monthly, yearly and seasonal rhythms are important traditions to uphold and curate for children. They thrive with repetition and knowing what to expect, especially when they are at forest school where there are so many variables and choices. These ‘bookmarks’ in time give children something to look forward to and weaves a dependable structure into our school year.
This way of education awakens our ancient connections to the land and our sense of place. Together with this new way of schooling the teachers step down as “Sage on the Stage” and take a nod from nature into the role of “Guide on the Side”. We are a community who honors children and understands they all have unique gifts that are just waiting to unfurl, with proper space, plenty of time, some light shed on new ideas and a little rain for good measure we can step back and watch as children grow to be a mighty oak of their own.
As educators we constantly ask ourselves “How do you support someone in becoming a learner?” How do you nurture the roots of a solid foundation that will keep them branching out for more knowledge, asking more questions and leafing out ideas not yet thought? We will keep asking that question and continue to evolve as a school community as more ideas, more of our own personal learning and more research brings forth ideas yet to be thought of. We welcome growth.
DTE Forest School in Practice
Pre Kindergarten through Second grade:
Taking a nod from Wilderness Awareness School’s Art of Coyote Mentoring, the PK-2 grades start each day with a soft open. During this arrival time, students have free choice to engage in the beginning of their school day in a way that best suits their needs. Some students want to eat right away, some want to run and chase and yell, while others like to sit and focus. We have rotating weekly offerings at tables for students to engage in if they choose; seasonal books for independent reading and teacher read alouds, drawing/coloring supplies, art projects, nature projects, building materials, manipulatives for math and science, etc.
Once everyone has arrived, we invite students to join in an opening circle. Here the children develop their discussion skills such as waiting their turn, sharing their ideas, updates or curiosities and learning to speak in a group. Circle time is punctuated with songs, dappled with new learning concepts and gives each day a reliable pause as we honor hearing from the children as much as the teacher. Near the end of circle time the children democratically decide how they will spend their unstructured time in the second half of the day after their morning academic lessons. It’s anyone’s guess how the adventure will unfold. Teachers assume their role as guide on the side after lunch and the children head off down the path to their chosen destination. The latter part of the day is the perfect invitation for a child’s own true gifts to emerge and have the time and space it takes to develop.
Third through Fifth Grade:
The 3-5 grades experience a more structured morning routine, reflecting their increased ability to sit and focus. This age group has access to our school bus classroom and we start our day there. Often free journaling or a thought-provoking writing prompt is the entry task when children arrive at school, followed by an intimate child-led discussion reflecting their writing. During this time, students are also interacting and reconnecting with their peers, talking about what happened during previous days and preparing for the day ahead. After a short body break, students are encouraged to democratically discuss and decide where and what the afternoon unstructured part of our day will be and look like. This can take quite a while, as the teacher intentionally stands back as an observer while kids work together through various emotions, practice self-regulation, compromise and other social emotional skills that are best learned in mixed aged groups with other children. Once consensus has been found by the students, we move from the bus to join the rest of the school for our focused academic time. At the shelter, all students (except PreK) are divided up into skill groups to receive direct instruction in: reading, math, writing, and ancestral skills. This allows students to get small group instruction at their current skill level while practicing previously acquired skills, learning new concepts and stretching their learning in a supportive and low pressure environment. Depending on the season students may spend 1-2 hours/day in these focused, small, skills based groups. Afterwards, students gearcheck and head out into the forest (as previously agreed upon) for unstructured play with their peers until it’s time to go home.
“Lack of free play may not kill the physical body, as would lack of food, air, or water, but it kills the spirit and stunts mental growth. Free play is the means by which children learn to make friends, overcome their fears, solve their own problems, and generally take control of their own lives. It is also the primary means by which children practice and acquire the physical and intellectual skills that are essential for success in the culture in which they are growing. Nothing that we do, no amount of toys we buy or ‘quality time’ or special training we give our children, can compensate for the freedom we take away. The things that children learn through their own initiatives, in free play, cannot be taught in other ways.” —Peter Grey
Curriculum
What it means to support a learner for us looks like dedicated morning instruction after circle time. We focus more heavily on direct academic instruction in the fall and spring when it’s warmer. We also emphasize academics more on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, which reflects a natural rhythm where students can ease back into their school life on Monday and Thursdays are typically days we do seasonal celebrations, Forest Families and other whole school community events. In small groups we focus on building their reading, math, writing and ancestral skills in an effort to connect them with their own curiosities, whatever those might be.
Reading is the gateway to a word full of answers and it’s a focal point of our academic time. Small group instruction means each child is met with the skill level that's most suited to them, not their age or grade. The heavy cross pollination of ages and grades throughout our program means kids are more comfortable being put in group with other children who may not be in their clan. With our Science of Reading based curriculum and other resources we focus on the following skills:
phonemic awareness
phonics skills (decoding and encoding)
sight recognition
vocabulary
verbal reasoning
fluency
comprehension
morphology
making predictions
research and comparing information from different sources
Writing is how a child can translate their own ideas down on paper and then teach back what they know and want to share with the world about who they are. Students are given many opportunities to write creatively and in response to prompts and projects from teachers at Down to Earth. We practice handwriting using the Handwriting Without Tears curriculum.
Mathematical core concepts are learned through direct instruction, application, critical thinking and games using Singapore Math. There are too many foundational skills to list for grades K-5, here is an introduction to the curriculum.
Science encircles us and is applied to all we learn. Our teachers have a well rounded knowledge of earth cycles and provide insights, context and information to students as questions arise. We always leave open time for inquiry and projects based on student interest. Past curiosities from students have led to class projects and studies of plant identification/plant structure, animal skat/life cycles, weather/climate change, erosion/water cycle, and clouds/atmospheric pressure.
“Human resources are like natural resources; they're often buried deep. You have to go looking for them, they're not just lying around on the surface. You have to create the circumstances where they show themselves.” ― Ken Robinson
Ancestral Skills
Along with formal instruction we also weave in a weekly ancestral skills class. Much of the knowledge and materials collected in the class the children take with them to their unstructured time and continue to hone their craft. Knives for carving, knitting needles, block printing, leather work, sewing, fort building, fire building and sometimes we even catch a fish!
Cross Pollination
Cross pollination of all the grades is heavily emphasized and something we glean from the Sudbury Model of Education. Once a month the children formally meet with their ‘Forest Families’ and engage in a project, challenge or activity together. Every Forest Family consists of one or two kids from each class and is led by students from the oldest class. Forest Families spend time reading stories together, playing field games, doing collaborative art, learning and teaching new plants, jumping into child-led obstacle courses and forging surprising new friendships. Additionally, we often combine classes during unstructured play to increase opportunities for cross pollination.
Assessment
Children are assessed twice yearly in math and reading as a means to keep track of progress and collect records for children once graduated. There are no tests or grades and assessments are given in a low pressure, loving environment. Conferences are offered in the Fall and the Spring.
Summary
Forest School is not for every family. Every parent dreams a different dream for their child and we are but one choice in an area with so many incredible offerings. The folks who find themselves enrolling their children with us are looking for a place where their child can have more autonomy and get to know themselves, build resiliency, connect daily with nature, mix with other ages regularly, be surrounded by a wider community of caring adults and grow to be a lifelong learner.
Parents who enroll their children with us place a higher value on their children having a childhood worth having, one with freedom and autonomy, than the need for them to be on par with children enrolled in other programs. If you enroll your child, they probably will not be reading at the same level as their peers at other schools and they may not know math facts or fractions at the same rate as their peers either. However, they will know which plants they can eat in the woods and what petrichor smells like. They’ll innately understand nature's rhythms and will be able to ground themselves in nature as a mental health tool throughout their lives. They’ll know how to sort out conflict without an adult and receive substantially more natural sunlight and fresh air as kids in public school do. They’ll learn who they are as critical thinkers and will have the privilege of expressing themselves and following their interests in a supportive, loving community. They will also learn the academic basics, just at a pace that takes into account their own needs and personal development.
