Teachers as Guides

highly trained faculty focus on child development

The main task of the Guide is to foster the child’s development rather than transmit knowledge.  Montessori educators are specially trained to monitor student progress, diagnose needed interventions, and plan future work. Teachers offer quiet respect for children's needs and capacities as learners.

Successful Montessori forest teaching is based on detailed and ongoing observation of the children, both individually and as a group. 

Once the school day begins, guides are immersed in the work on our campus, which means they are not able to give parents or other visitors attention.  We support this element of the program by limiting interruption during the school day.  Guides are available after school for conferences or telephone conversations.

Consistent Routines in Prepared Environments

a series of outdoor experiences guided by the montessori philosophy

Children, especially those between two and five, are sensitive to routines and order. They respond  to consistency. Every day, children travel through a series of outdoor experiences, including garden, farm, woodland and forest environments, guided by AMI-certified teachers.

The specially prepared and developmentally appropriate series of outdoor environments invite the child to active, purposeful engagement. Children play and explore wildlife and plant life, learn math and how to write and read phonetically, and enjoy nature-based physical activity, art, science, music and more.

Montessori forest education fosters independence, where children develop at their own pace. In addition, children learn to care for the environment and share responsibility for its maintenance, instilling the importance of stewardship.  

Daily jobs -- helping friends put on their coats, feeding the animals, and setting the table -- reinforce predictable patterns. As students learn the expectations, guides need to do very little “correcting."

Grace and Courtesy

Meticulous attention to Grace and Courtesy

We place a premium on children learning good manners and social graces. Students and guests at our school can expect to be greeted with cheerful “good mornings” and “good afternoons” during arrivals and departures.  Mealtimes are opportunities to practice table manners, conversation, and peaceful problem solving.