Curious Learning Movement
At Green Garden, we believe in fostering curiosity in all that we do. From our open-ended materials to our child-led curriculum, our students have the opportunity to question the world around them and use their critical thinking skills to solve problems and find the answers they seek.
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TODAYEmbracing the Movement
Children are curious by nature. At Green Garden we believe that this curiosity is to be embraced and encouraged. It is through this natural drive to learn through testing and exploration that we believe children grow and develop best. When they lead the way into learning about a topic or idea, they are excited to know more. We see the strength of embracing curiosity everyday when our classrooms investigate and ask their questions about the worm they found outside or some other intriguing happening that day. When we embrace this learning movement we inspire the children to become the leaders in their learning journey today and for a lifetime. They realize their intrigue helps them to see what they need to learn and our openness and encouragement help them to explore the vulnerability of asking questions and digging deeper.
Nurturing Curiosity
By nurturing curiosity, we help cultivate a lifetime of wonder and creativity. Children are born curious as they want to know how the world around them works. As adults, it is often easy for us to jump right in and show them how something works or give them the answer they are seeking. At Green Garden, we allow children time to wonder and ask questions. Often when a child asks a question, it is followed by another question such as “I’m not sure, what do you think?” Our educators work alongside our children to problem solve and come up with answers to their questions through research and investigation.
Creating tomorrow’s self-starters
We are developing tomorrow’s self-starters, problem solvers, and difference makers. Every piece of our day promotes critical thinking and conflict resolution strategies. Children are given the time to resolve a problem independently and the words to ask for help when needed. When children constantly have an adult solving every situation, they do not have the opportunity to learn these skills independently. Our students are given opportunities to work through interactions with our educators supporting them as facilitators when needed. These life skills are practiced daily and will help our students become independent thinkers as they continue to grow.
Encourage Healthy risk-taking
At Green Garden, we encourage healthy risk-taking to allow children to reach their fullest potential. Learning to do dangerous things carefully is so important in early childhood. Our purposefully designed outdoor classrooms are one of the best stages for healthy risk-taking. Taking risks in a safe environment builds confidence, resilience, and risk management! In these classrooms, children are given the materials to explore and create their own risks. You will often hear our educators use phrases such as “Do you feel safe?” “That looks wobbly. I wonder how you can make it more sturdy?”
Offering Intentional “YES” environments
Saying yes as much as possible empowers our students to have more control in their classroom experience. Each of our learning environments, indoors and out, is stocked with open-ended loose parts that allow children to explore and decide how an object will be used each day. We create intentional “yes” environments that foster autonomy and develop inquisitive thinkers. What is a purposeful yes environment? Our program offers opportunities for our educators to be intentional about implementing the yes environment in the classroom; we know that this provides less stress and more success for both children and teachers.
Our Programs
Infants
The first year of life is full of special moments and milestones. Our team of Infant Teachers is here to support you as you embark on your parenting journey! Sharing photos and highlights of every day to include you in all of your child’s growth and development.
Learn MoreToddlers
When you enter a Toddler Classroom, you will see teachers ready to listen, learn and play. We listen to your child’s interest to create a classroom environment that cultivates creativity and provides a safe place to express themselves and explore their world.
Learn MorePreschool & Pre-K
Preschool at Green Garden looks like play but there’s so much more. Our classrooms are led by the children and supported intentionally for them. We incorporate the outdoors any chance we get and ensure our teachers serve as leaders of learning.
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