Our Program
At Green Earthlings, we use a
Place Based Education model.
Developed by John Dewey and inspired by Indigenous legacies from across the world, PBE ties a child's learning inextricably to the environment they are in.
The pillars of Play Based Education are:
engagement, community, environmental justice, and contextual learning.
Children learn best when they are active in directing their education. That is why all of our lessons are themed in exploration of nature, following a child's inate desire to understand the world around them.
Infants
We focus on meeting developmental milestones through sensory exploration. We maintain the stable routines and comfort infants need to thrive, as well as incorporate play with older children and inclusion in group activities. This provides a multitude of socioemotional benefits for infants. Babies at Green Earthlings get to be part of the fun too, and we maintain safe, age-appropriate play always!
Toddlers
Toddlers ask the best questions! This is a wonderful time to encourage curiosity and problem solving. Engaging in these questions leads to stronger neural connectivity and perseverance. Activities focus on development of gross motor skills and large muscle groups.
During this time we also introduce community as a concept and practice. Working on understanding “self” in relation to other children and participating in community care.
PreK at Green Earthlings
Our PreK program focuses on developing autonomy through practice of fine motor skills, letter recognition and numbers 1-10. We use storytelling to connect concepts and ideas, as this method helps children retain more information, as well as practice empathy and abstract thinking. More detailed crafting and gardening opportunities are offered at this stage, as well as community jobs.
Understanding of Community is evolved as older children model for the younger ones. This is an opportunity for PreK kids to build confidence.