Preschool, PreKindergarten, and Kindergarten
Ages: 3 to 6 years old
The teachers model a reverence and joy of life, enthusiasm for their daily work, warmth for the children, and compassion for each other. Young children thrive in a mixed-age atmosphere, which allows them to develop ongoing nurturing relationships with their teachers over several years.
Our programs offer a combination of indoor and outdoor creative play. The teachers engage in daily work such as gardening, as well as preparation of food and artistic activities as the children play. The teachers are always ready to offer support when needed. Through the teacher’s modeling and guidance, the children learn to solve problems, share, take turns, and help one another.
Each day the teachers offer guided activities. The children color and paint with red, yellow, and blue, learning to blend colors and joyfully discovering the new colors they can make. They model with sweet smelling beeswax, forming animals and plants. Seasonal activities include gardening, cider pressing, applesauce making, maple sugaring, bread making, and wet wool felting. The children help take care of their gardens and trails.
When the cleanup song is sung, the children know it’s time to put the room back in order. During circle time we join hands in a circle to sing songs, recite verses, and play finger games that reflect the seasons. Each day, the children help prepare a nutritious snack. These can include bread day, soup day, rice day, millet day and muffin day. The snack is shared together around a beautifully set table.
Every day the children are told a simple nature story, fairytale, or puppet play. At rest time the children are soothed by a lullaby and the music of a lyre or glockenspiel. The children spend time outdoors in all kinds of weather for robust and active work and play. The morning ends with a closing circle and verse.
Are you considering The Bay School? Families go through a simple application process to enroll a child in our Early Childhood Program. We look forward to meeting you!