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Outdoor Wholesome Learning

O.W.L. is a year-round Reggio-Inspired Forest Prekindergarten program.

LOGISTICS

Reggio-Inspired Forest Prekindergarten Program

WHAT:

WHO:

Young children ages four to five years

WHEN:

TIME:

Four days per week (MTWR)

9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The O.W.L.Experience

Creative Learning the Natural Way

​Imagine a school where your child’s classroom is the great outdoors, their lessons are drawn from nature, and every day is an adventure that builds confidence and celebrates their unique self. Welcome to the O.W.L. program!

 

Your child will joyfully develop autonomy, be heard and nurtured, and live a fulfilled life each day they spend with us. As a prekindergarten student, your child will be invited to explore Reggio-Inspired learning hubs derived from their inquiries and embedded with the curricular values of our educational philosophies. Open-ended play is the foundation of our emergent curriculum, offering children developmentally appropriate and evidence-based learning experiences.

 

Play-activated learning invites your child to:

  • Choose, move, create, be read to, sing, connect, be outside, ask questions, observe, discuss, reflect, express feelings, make mistakes, and solve problems

  • Learn and exercise social and emotional skills.

  • Enhance cognitive and process skills. 

  • Explore forestry and ecology curricular concepts.

  • Investigate the world through emergent curricula embedded throughout the play experience. 

  • Connect with passionate, highly-qualified educators who value and understand the process of learning.

 

 Children should always arrive dressed for the current weather conditions.

  • Welcome at 9:30 a.m.

  • Open-Ended Play

  • Morning Snack & Stories

  • Opening Circle 

  • Hike 

  • Community Lunch

  • Small Groups & Projects

  • Campfire Snack & Stories

  • Open-Ended Play

  • Closing Circle

  • Farewell at 3:30 p.m.

Sample Daily Rhythm

Offerings

  • Four days a week that are filled with hours of uninterrupted outdoor time

  • All-weather immersive experiences

  • Open-ended, self-directed play

  • Process art

  • Emergent curricular experiences embedded in play

    • Priority is placed on open-ended, exploratory play.

    • Learning invitations are seasonal, nature-based, and connected to the children's daily outdoor discoveries.

    • We incorporate developmentally appropriate practices in Early Childhood Education with a holistic approach inspired by the Reggio Emilia educational philosophies.

    • Project-based Learning

    • ExplorersJournals

  • Weekly expeditions to explore local creeks, springs, forests, farms, museums, and rivers.

  • Outdoor and indoor learning hubs

Benefits

  • O.W.L. has a small child-to-educator ratio of 8:1​​

  • Multi-aged groups provide excellent opportunities for social learning.

  • Two Milestone Meetings to discuss goals and progress.

    • November and May​

    • Portions of this meeting will be led by your child.

  • Dynamic Disciplines are interwoven into student-led projects.

  • Continuous learning from a balanced calendar.

    • 10-week sessions​ with seasonal breaks

    • See our Calendar 

  • Frequent authentic documentation of the learning process will connect you with your child’s day.

  • Exclusive events include bonfires, special visit days, holiday celebrations, campouts, child-led performances, and ceremonies.

  • This specialized educational program serves as a prerequisite enrichment to promote a high-quality academic environment, which fosters the love and joy of learning and promotes success in forest kindergarten and throughout the child's life.

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Belonging to a supportive  learning community.

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What Does a Day at O.W.L. Look Like?

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Pricing

  • Tuition may be paid monthly, by semester, or in advance for the entire year. 

    • Monthly payments of $700 are due by the 15th of each month.

  • A one-time, non-refundable enrollment fee of $400.

    • $200 of the enrollment fee applies toward the first month's tuition. 

  • A supply fee of $50 will be due at the start of each semester.

  • An optional outdoor gear rental fee.​​​​

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O.W. L. is a tutorial for voluntary prekindergarten homeschoolers.

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