Early Childhood

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.  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.

Students spend a large amount of time engaged in free outside play as well as inside explorations and play in a carefully crafted and beautiful environment.  The play-based 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 comprise this in-and-out quality.

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 and enable the children to express themselves using many “languages.”  Students explore movement and dance, dramatic arts and puppetry, and a wide range of visual arts.  Arts media tend to strongly emphasize natural materials, and might include sculpting with clay, creating collage or mobiles with found beach objects, painting with watercolors or baking bread.

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 both play in and explore the play yard and school orchard and help to tend the school garden.

Children gather together each day for a circle time that helps to build a strong sense of classroom community.  Teachers may lead the group with, stories, puppet plays, books or the class may share songs and movements together.  There may be some whole group discussion, and individual children may at times share something of special interest to them with the group.

The Salmonberry Garden is not an “academic” program in the sense that not all children are expected to learn reading, writing or arithmetic skills. However the 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.  Materials are present for children who are interested and ready to explore beginning literacy and mathematical thinking and scientific learning may take place through designated centers in the classroom.

Emergent curriculum is a strong element in the program.  Children’s individual and collective interests, curiosities and passions are recognized and respected.  When appropriate, teachers design projects and activities based on these interests as well as on the real world around us.  This approach insures that the curriculum is lively, meaningful and relevant to the children, and that it meets them where they are.

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 exquisite beauty, wonder, reverence, and absolute safety. It is also a lively, fun and dynamic learning environment, which challenges and engages all learners. We provide a program that will prepare students exceptionally well for a transition into the Salmonberry Grades program. Salmonberry is a cohesive school with a single, unified, holistic pedagogical vision and will always be a small school, with a huge heart.

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.

Children of school age may enroll two, three, four or five mornings per week.  In addition, they may attend the extended day program from 1pm-3pm.  This additional afternoon time allows older children to pursue more extended projects and receive instruction appropriate to their specific developmental level. Our belief is that Kindergarten can be a critical time of grounding and growth for children.  We offer exposure to academic concepts and content areas but do not expect proficiency.  Our goal is not necessarily to graduate all kindergarteners as fluent readers, but as eager participants in the process of learning, and as confident community members.