Restoring Faith In Humanity.....One School At A Time

Spread the option. Not all in the education system is going downhill.......and that's hard to believe when you live in Arizona.

In a new partnership with Seattle Parks and Recreation, Tiny Trees Preschool will foster learning in nine city parks beginning in September of 2016.

Andrew Jay, one of the school’s founders, maintains that anything kids can do indoors, they can do at a city park—plus, there are so many added opportunities in the natural world for discovery. Using a skill set Jay developed at Outward Bound working with middle and high school students, he is ready to bring outdoor learning into the mainstream.

Without the overhead cost of buildings, Tiny Trees can make year-round preschool more affordable, and spend more money on quality teachers — it will cost about $7,000 a year, compared to $12,000, which is the average cost in Seattle.

The inspiration for the school was a pilot program begun two years ago at the University of Washington. Fiddleheads Nature School tested the model to see if it would work in Seattle. It was highly successful, with teachers thrilled by sightings of bald eagles mating, young owlets fledging, and praying mantids hunting.

The concept was developed in Denmark and Sweden in the 1950s, before it spread to other European countries, including Germany, where currently 1,000 outdoor preschools operate. In the U.S. there are schools operating in Maine, San Francisco, and Georgia.

www.goodnewsnetwork.org...

I'm not seeing a down side to this. Everything that can happen inside of a building for schooling, can happen outside. Good or bad.

a reply to: Taupin Desciple

Except when it rains.... or when it's freezing out.... or very windy.....

originally posted by: eluryh22
a reply to: Taupin Desciple

Except when it rains.... or when it's freezing out.... or very windy.....

Yeah......nature. God forbid the young 'uns get some fresh air.

If the weather turns extreme to the point of being dangerous, I'm sure they'll call it a day.

a reply to: Taupin Desciple

While admittedly I was cracking wise in my previous post, I do stand by my sentiments.

My two cents....

- Of course, it depends on the setting (city vs suburb vs rural) but just because children have a classroom in a structure doesn't mean they do not OFTEN go outside for both play AND education.

- Again, this depends on the location, but in my neck of the woods it can be at or around freezing for weeks or months at a time during the winter months. So, no school for that duration?

- This is more or less of an extension of my previous point, but I firmly believe that kids (particularly the younger ones like my 4 year old) have something of a routine schedule.
Kid: Daddy, do I have school tomorrow?
Dad: I have no idea son.

- Expanding on the last point, it is also important for families to have something of a routine schedule. For some families, a child that catches the common cold and unexpectedly has to stay home can cause a small amount of chaos as the parents have to figure out who can stay home to care for the child. I couldn't imagine adding weather school closings to that (beyond the rare snow day, in which case many parents have an easier time taking off from work).

- I also believe there are certain lessons that are better taught in a classroom setting. Things including but not limited to learning to write the proper way (holding the pencil, etc). I can't see the advantage to having this done outside where in order to combat even passing breezes precious time is wasted weighing down or taping down paper for X-number of students.

Listen, to the overall idea that there is a TREMENDOUS amount that can be learned outside.... I am in agreement. After all, you know that guy in the park you see gather acorns with his kid that they take home and plant in pots of soil to see how an acorn turns into an oak...? That guy is me and that kid is my son. That being said, I sincerely can't see how the same overall level of academic achievement can be reached in a purely outdoor setting.

a reply to: eluryh22

We already have it where i live, winter is cold here. Meaning you buy a functional wardrobe

originally posted by: rajas
a reply to: eluryh22

We already have it where i live, winter is cold here. Meaning you buy a functional wardrobe

So a kid is going to learn how to write wearing what? Mittens? Thick gloves?

The pen (or pencil) is not going to puncture a soaked piece of paper?

a reply to: eluryh22

I live in Sweden, wouldnt say it made us dumber.. Well in a universe of xenophobism we are killing Sweden, in our universe we are teaching the young what to observe and as adults understand what must be done.

originally posted by: rajas
a reply to: eluryh22

I live in Sweden, wouldnt say it made us dumber.. Well in a universe of xenophobism we are killing Sweden, in our universe we are teaching the young what to observe and as adults understand what must be done

I never, ever made any accusation that anyone is "dumber." The part of your post I bolded.... I'm not sure what you are trying to say nor do I understand it's relevance to this thread.

a reply to: eluryh22

Someone said a while ago, everything you learn in life, you learn in kindergarden. Everything else is just repeat.

a reply to: eluryh22

When I saw the story, my first reaction was that you are showing kids that education and nature can go hand in hand. This is how a 3 or 4 year old is going to process this, and in this digital age where children of that age can pick up on the tablets, pc's and the basics of how those work while in the "comfort" of being indoors, this type of learning environment is a good counterbalance IMO.

The practicality of it is, of course, up to the adults. I'm sure no one will let a child of that age be outdoors if the weather gets dangerous.