Wauhatchie School, which launched the first forest kindergarten in the state in 2015, is starting a satellite location at Audubon Acres this fall. For ages 3-6, the new forest preschool will build on the popular education trend when it opens in August 2019.
Wauhatchie School forest kindergarten students engage in exploratory play at the school's main campus at Reflection Riding Nature Center and Arboretum. A satellite campus offering a forest preschool program is opening at Audubon Acres this fall.Ivy Academy, an environmentally focused public charter school in Soddy-Daisy, will also gain a satellite forest preschool in the fall.
Both are currently accepting students. Audubon Acres is holding an open house for parents of prospective students Saturday, Feb. 23 at 10 a.m.
Wauhatchie School co-founder Jean Lomino said Audubon is an ideal site for the program, with the wildlife sanctuary's 130 acres of preserved nature, focus on history and proximity to South Chickamauga Creek. She was approached by Executive Director Kyle Simpson about starting a satellite location there.
"Our founder [Robert Sparks Walker] loved children and wanted this place to be a classroom for students," said Simpson. "I can think of no better way to do that than forest kindergarten."
The concept of forest kindergarten was born in Germany, when educator Friedrich Froebel opened the first outdoor "kindergartens" - German for "children's gardens" - more than 150 years ago. Hundreds of forest kindergartens now exist across Europe. The children spend the entire day immersed in nature, directing their own learning through exploration rather than focusing on words and numbers while sitting at a desk in a classroom led by a teacher.
A teacher for nearly 50 years and former director of Reflection Riding Nature Center and Arboretum, Lomino became an outdoor-education consultant after retiring from the nature center in 2013. She always had an interest in forest kindergarten, and in 2015 she attended teacher training at Cedarsong Nature School, one of the first forest kindergarten programs in the U.S.
Wauhatchie's forest kindergarten classes began in 2015 at the former Learning Center at Lookout Lake, located on the 60-plus-acre family estate of Wauhatchie School co-founder Diana Rowell.
In fall of 2018, Reflection Riding became the school's main campus. There, it hosts full-day programs for kindergartners and first-graders, a home-school program for students ages 7-12, and a half-day preschool program similar to those coming to Audubon and Ivy Academy.
The forest preschool site at Audubon Acres will have a campsite and shelter, but no fully enclosed spaces. At Wauhatchie School, learning is based on the season and children's discoveries through exploratory play. There is no set curriculum.
While the school's program is too new to provide evidence of how well its students fare after transitioning to a traditional school setting, said Assistant Director Megan Chaney, research shows that in the early elementary years, forest school alums typically do as well academically or are slightly behind their peers who attended traditional schools. But by around the fourth-grade year, forest school alums typically begin to surpass their peers, which is believed to be a result of their early development of "soft" skills such as communication, problem solving, creativity, persistence and patience, she said.
Wauhatchie School students' learning is based on what they encounter through exploratory play in nature, rather than a set lesson plan.Wauhatchie's approach to education incorporates early childhood learning philosophies including Waldorf, a nature-focused philosophy; and Reggio Emelia, inquiry-based learning related to the Montessori method. The ratio of students to teachers is 5:1 for 2- and 3-year-olds and 6:1 for 4- to 6-year-olds.
Lomino said the benefits of forest school include spending the day in the fresh air and open sky, which students do no matter the weather, though they're not permitted to play in the water if the temperature is below 40 F. She added that they are taught to dress appropriately, which helps students learn adaptability, as they're trusted to know their own body, she explained.
"Risk-taking is an important part of the forest kindergarten philosophy," said Lomino, as it helps children learn their place in the world.
Students also have more opportunity to exercise their eyes than their peers in traditional classroom settings. Studies have shown kids who spend hours each day looking at screens are more likely to become nearsighted, she said.
Applications are available online at wauhatchie.com. There is a $25 fee to apply. Children and their parents will be given a private tour prior to the final stage of enrollment to ensure the school is a proper fit, Lomino said.
Audubon Acres is at 900 N. Sanctuary Road and can be reached at 892-1499. Contact Wauhatchie School at 242-3099 or visit wauhatchie.com.
Email Emily Crisman at ecrisman@timesfreepress.com.