Our Program
At Arden Forest School, we use a purposeful and comprehensive approach to education that encompasses the growth of each child as an individual and social being. This approach for the “whole child” is created through the flexible, fluid combination of traditional and progressive educational methods based on the need, abilities, and interests of each individual child. Our group lessons are carefully crafted to honor all learning styles in the classroom through presentation of a variety of activities, and through the use of “living books and materials” that bring learning to life and encourage academic and cultural literacy.
Our Curriculum
Kindergarten- 6th Grades
Multi-age Classes K/1, 2nd-3rd grades, and 4th-6th grades
(class structure may vary depending on enrollment needs)
In school, children not only encounter the elemental foundations of academia, but whilst doing so, they also form a core sense of identity and begin to develop their attitudes/feelings toward the world around them. This holistic foundation of learning sets the stage for their future presence in the world. We strive to encourage children to grow in all ways in order to encourage this presence to be one of academic and personal strength and wonder.
Our classroom time is academically focused on all core subjects, and our methodologies feature mixed age groups where the lessons and curricula honor the unique learning styles and developmental pacing of our students. We also offer related arts that are classically applicable and therapeutic to the human spirit: crafting, gardening, mindfulness, Latin, and the arts.
As much as possible, our students work, play, and discover in our large outdoor classrooms and peripheral forest/creek area. Nature study is inherently intertwined with all subject areas, as human beings are inextricably connected to the earth. As such, we consciously endeavor to offer a curricular experience here that fosters a child’s relationship to the earth and its inhabitants.
We recognize the value of unstructured, mixed-age play for our children, regardless of age (called “Masterful Inactivity” by renowned educator and philosopher Charlotte Mason) and the critical role it holds in healthy development. Accordingly, unstructured play is interwoven with structured learning time on a daily basis.
Schedule and Classes
Daily Schedule Sample (Monday-Thursday)
Our days begin at 8:00 a.m. and flow into learning about core subjects- reading, writing, math, science, history, and foreign language. Students receive individual tutoring each week to meet their unique academic needs. Our learning is centered around spending as much time as possible in nature, as well as honoring children's equally important needs for social emotional engagement and creative play. Dismissal is at 2:30 p.m.
Related Arts Everyday
After lunch daily, our students engage in concentrated learning in gardening, crafting, the arts, and mindfulness, Our learning is centered around spending as much time as possible in nature, as well as honoring children's equally important needs for social emotional engagement and creative play.
*We are a full time program only, we do not offer drop in classes*
