Morning Program

Our CSNL Nature Preschool is a mixed-age program based on love and respect for children as whole beings and the natural world around us. We hope to instill a love of learning through open-ended provocations, teacher-guided explorations, and emergent based curriculum focused on the foundational skills that will support your child in becoming an resourceful, confident, and kind learner. Our Forest Leaders create developmentally appropriate routines based on the NH Early Learning Standards including nature based art and sensory experiences, STEM activities, and dramatic play schemes as well as fire building and safety, basic survival skills, cooking, and animal care. We also include a Morning Meeting time based on the Responsive Classroom Curriculum and 45 minutes of uninterrupted, non-teacher led Free Exploration to encourage authentic social connection, child-led problem solving, and deep imaginative play. All out in Nature!

Our flexible schedule and differentiated activities aims to meet each child where they are and guide them in their own, unique growth. All the children, whether they are a Cottontail (2-3 yrs), Chickadee (3-4 yrs), or Coyote (4-5yrs), work together as a classroom family and support each other in their learning journeys. Families may choose 2, 3, or 5 days per week and the programs runs 9:00-12:00.

Wild Wonders Afternoon Program

Our Wild Wonders Afternoon Program is for children who would like to explore into the afternoon. Immediately following the morning Nature Preschool Program the explorers continue to connect socially with their peers over a shared meal time.  They practice meal manners, meal time conversation, and meal clean up. A teacher sits with the children as an example of proper meal etiquette and to facilitate group conversations by helping children share about their life, make social connections, and take turns talking. After lunch, the children will participate in a Mindful Moment to help them slow their bodies and minds after a busy morning and reframe them for a peaceful Rest period.  This time could include breathing exercises, children’s yoga, meditations, and discussions about self awareness and kindness. Then the Preschoolers move onto their Rest Period where they will have an opportunity for relaxation, sleep, or quiet activities depending on the needs of each child before heading back into the forest.  Adventurers will participate in activities like basic compass education, simple plant identification, animal tracking/study, foraging for food, beginning fire-making, shelter constructing and more. Children in this program will also be able to explore practical life skills like stitching and sewing, cooking and baking, and how to care for animals.

Forest Kindergarten

Our FOREST KINDERGARTEN opened in 2017! This is an amazing nature-based program for 4 to 6-year-olds. These learners will have a 4-hour program that combines the benefits of outdoor nature play, highly noted academic curriculum, and plenty of time for creative child-led discoveries. We hope our nature-based program helps children make life-long, meaningful connections to nature and understand their place in this natural world.

The Forest Kindergarten, or WaldKindergarten, movement has been thriving in Europe for the last three decades and has recently taken root in the United States. Both nature preschools and forest kindergartens have a uniquely different approach to curriculum than conventional indoor early childhood programs.

Just like our preschool program, our Kindergarten curriculum will focus on the natural rhythm of this world, the social and emotional development of each child, and helping children take risks and improve their self-help skills and independence. Additionally, our children will be learning about basic survival skills, life skills, fire-making, knife skills, cooking over an open fire, meal-time etiquette and building resilience as they learn to adapt to varying weather and temperature conditions throughout the school year.

Fun in the Forest

Our afternoon will have all the benefits of a nature-based program with loosely structured activities focusing on discovery, problem-solving, science process skills, and creative natural experiences. Children will be participating in outdoor play that reinforces gross motor skills, motor planning, cause & effect and other life skills activities with connections to cooking, measurement, mathematics, journaling, story writing, story-telling, literacy, artistic discovery, and much more. Children can join the afternoon program anywhere from 2-4 days per week. We will start our session by participating in a Rest time (yoga, meditation, quiet time), followed by independent exploration time, community circle, a Growing Up WILD lesson and substantial outdoor time to connect and engage with nature.

In 2019 CSNL expanded to Lower Elementary!

Our attendance is approved and monitored by the NH Department of Education. Educators are certified and highly qualified by the State of NH. Academics will include Handwriting Without Tears, Fountas & Pinnell Phonics & Literacy Instruction and Everyday Math components. Growing Up WILD, Project Learning Tree, Project WET, Project WILD and other STEAM & Science curriculum. For the 2022-2023 school year, CSNL is excited to host a Homeschool Co-op Model. This program will run Tuesdays & Thursday from 8:15-3:00 with the option of a 3rd day on Wednesdays.