I am the co-director of a Forest School inspired early childhood education program and was recently asked by a parent whether we were an "official Kindergarten" and this was a part of my response.
Dear Folk Farm Parent,
Thank you for the invitation to consider the definition of how we classify our education program. In response to the language of whether we are an official Kindergarten, I have to speak to the condition of our state licensed education for young children. The developmental stage of early childhood, the most critical period of brain development that predicts later outcomes for success in terms of relational skills and regulation, is defined in cognitive science as the time from birth to age 8. As an early childhood educator, I follow the teachings of Lev Vygotsky and scaffolding, Forest School philosophy, Loris Malaguzzi and Reggio Emilia practices, Rudolf Steiner and Waldorf education, and the scope of knowledge my degree in Human Development gives me around brain development, brain architecture and the formation of neural pathways. Folk Farm is a developmentally appropriate education system inspired by Waldkindergartens and Forest Schools adapted to a farm ecosystem to inspire connection to land, food and social systems, that is responsive to its community’s feedback.
I find most conventional classrooms push children in early childhood to an inappropriate level of challenge that doesn’t consider the whole child. Both Forest Schools and Waldorf education take a nature-based, child-led approach to education and begin to integrate a main lesson that includes writing, reading, math and formal learning around 1st grade. This coincides with extensive brain research around the development of executive functioning skills which include working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility, all skills essential for organized and formal learning. We have so many opportunities on the farm to weave in play based academics, counting eggs from the chicken coop, adding together the week’s egg supply, writing in our day journal, exploring ecosystems, looking through the land with a magnifying glass, asking questions about the weather and seasons and so much more. Play enhances the formation of healthy neural systems and orients children towards cooperation instead of competition. When given the freedom to, young children show clear abilities to manage risks and figure out their own limits. This strengthens the flexibility in their neural systems to be able to meet moments of surprise with resilience and tools that help them feel capable.
Children at this school are learning to create their own activities and solve their own problems independently. Play can be the optimal learning zone for children, and when we add or remove tools (scaffolding) adults ensure a child remains balanced on their edges. Here at the farm, the students have the space to find healthy channels for impulse control and deeply develop intrinsic motivation for learning and exploring the world. While maintaining this social emotional focused, nature-based, play-based, child-led culture of education we honor the families we serve and always take feedback around the individual goals of each caregiver and child. The parent teacher conference and intake form systems function as a guide for curriculum as much as the schools of thought I referenced above. Academic desires from caregivers provide direct goals set by educators and opportunities to discuss developmental appropriateness. We will not offer activities that we find developmentally inappropriate, i.e. sitting for a longer period of time than appropriate for age, rote memorization, maintaining education space in situations of emotional distress.
Thank you again for this opportunity to reflect, and as a responsive education system I wholeheartedly welcome your feedback and response to receiving my words.
In gratitude,
Jessica
Play can be the optimal learning zone for children, and when we add or remove tools (scaffolding) adults ensure a child remains balanced on their edges.
Want to learn more about child-led, play based early childhood education? Curious about creating a regenerative education system? Get in touch!
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