Early Childhood: Sparking Imagination, Celebrating Creativity

Salmonberry Garden Overview

The Salmonberry Garden is a child-centered and holistic program for children 3-6 years old. The Garden program is built upon a strong foundation and understanding of child development and a belief in the need for children at these ages to be able to be immersed in a world of imaginative and creative play.

Salmonberry’s early childhood program clearly recognizes children’s individual and unique trajectories through their natural unfolding, as well as the developmental distinctions present within this multi-age classroom.

The program is built upon a foundation of emergent curriculum. Children’s individual and collective interests, curiosities and passions are recognized and respected. When appropriate, teachers design projects and activities based on these interests. This approach ensures that the curriculum is lively, meaningful and relevant to the children.

The learning environment of the Salmonberry Garden has a strong rhythmic quality. A consistent daily and weekly “breathing rhythm” helps children to feel secure at school and provides the safety and predictability that they need at these levels. There is a variety of indoor and outdoor, whole group and individual, teacher-led and student-led activities, which create a rhythmic structure.

Literacy and Language

The early childhood classroom environment is one that immerses the children in the rich world of language.  Stories, both oral and in print, are an important part of the day.  The students keep journals to express their ideas.  These notebooks include original artwork, symbols, dictated sentences as well as student writing.  Students are often encouraged to act out their personal narratives in the form of dramatic plays.  The print-rich and language-rich environment provides an excellent foundation for the acquisition of literacy skills.

Mathematical Thinking

Mathematical thinking is one important way that children develop a sense of themselves and the world in which they live.  In the Salmonberry early childhood classroom, students play with wooden blocks as a way to explore proportion and measurement.  They use geometric blocks at the light table as they gain a sense of symmetry, patterns and spatial relationships.  They explore patterns and numeration through daily calendar work at circle time.  Mathematical concepts are integrated throughout the day through activities such as sorting, counting, music and art.

The Arts

The arts and craftwork are another core element in the Salmonberry Garden. Arts are used to help facilitate the development of children’s expressive capacity.  Students explore movement and dance, dramatic arts and puppetry, and a wide range of visual arts. Arts curriculum emphasizes natural materials, and might include sculpting with clay, creating collage or mobiles with found beach objects, painting with watercolors or baking bread.

Science and Nature

Salmonberry’s early childhood classroom encourages the development of children’s natural capacity for inquiry and exploration.  As students ask questions of the world around them, teachers guide children to explore these questions and test out their theories, often documenting the results of these investigations.  This inquiry-based approach provides a foundation for the child’s connection to the scientific process.

At this developmental level, it is important to balance this analytic approach to science with direct experience with nature, which helps to develop the child’s natural sense of wonder.  Connecting children with nature is an important part of the Garden program. Children go on nature walks noticing the seasonal changes around them. They are encouraged to explore the play yard and orchard and help to tend the school garden.

Classroom Community

Children gather together each day for a circle time that helps to build a strong sense of community. Teachers lead the group with stories, puppet plays, books, songs or movement.  An ethic of care pervades the classroom and children’s capacity to care for others, as well as for their immediate environment and their work is nurtured through modeling and gentle guidance.

The teachers are strong classroom leaders at Salmonberry. Yet they employ their clear authority with great compassion, care and love. They engage directly and authentically with children. Children are treated with enormous respect. Both the needs of the individual and those of the group are held in highest esteem. The Garden classroom is a place of beauty, wonder, reverence, and safety. It is also a lively, fun and dynamic learning environment, which challenges and engages all learners.

Families of young children, ages 3-5, may choose to enroll their child for two, three, four or five days per week. The morning program is from 9am-1pm. A shared snack will be provided and children should bring their own lunch.