A Glimpse Inside The Classroom- September 2023
From Founding Director Adela Martinez Berg
We did it! The doors are open, and our students (ages 2-5) usher in life at The Forager School with grade- A enthusiasm. As teachers work together to establish daily routines and rhythms, the days fill with open-ended art projects, singing and movement, Spanish lessons, cooking/baking, and most of all, exploration of every possible plant, seedpod, rock, and crawling critter. I am proud to say this school belongs to the kids! It is a place for students to call home, a place they can be themselves, a place to have fun as they build their foundations for all that life has in store. This is what continues to drive my passion as founding director.
As teachers we understand that when children follow their own interests, they plan, experiment, discover and concentrate better. At The Forager School children are seen, heard, and valued as contributing members. Play is at the core of our curriculum because we see how it allows children to speak their truth, giving form and expression to feelings that words cannot relate. The process of children’s self-expression through play and creation is more important than what is produced. I look at our walls covered in art, the collections of backyard treasures nestled in their cubbies - it is a marvel to see their unique contributions. Thank you to everyone making this dream our reality.
We love it!
Some September highlights:
Weekly Spanish group time with Teacher Jessica.
Examining a 10-line June Beetle with Teacher Julianne. It was, as one student described, “big enough to pet!”
Outdoor and indoor creativity abounds!
Foraged Item of the Month:
Huckleberries! Our students have had lots of opportunities to enjoy this South Coast speciality, both directly from the bush in The Forager School front yard as well as off branches brought in from the homes of our school families. It’s a great- and delicious- fine motor exercise!
Book of the Month
Du Iz Tak? by Carson Ellis has captured the imagination of many of our young learners this month. The kids have been busy baffling caregivers at home with their own takes on the book’s imagined bug language.
