What we Learn at Knox Forest School

Beyond recognition of letters and numbers (hard skills), we focus on the soil of a child's learning (soft skills) that will carry with them throughout life:

Rachel Carson says that within every kid is an innate naturalist, but that this naturalist must be nurtured and guided by adults. At Knox Forest School, we take time to explore nature with our kids, giving them confidence and trust in their own reflections.
By giving space to the kids to "roam and find" we instill the search so important to curiosity and invention. We have 200 acres available to us to roam and explore.
Our teachers are trained in naturalist knowledge and wilderness observation skills.
Much of our teaching takes place in the midst of song and dance. We sing songs about rain, mud, caterpillars, ice, snow, clouds, the five senses, etc. By singing and moving, learning is instilled in a fun-filled, artful way.

We believe how we treat ourselves and one another is core to human development.
When someone falls or cries, we teach our kids to reach out and ask, "Are you okay? Can I help you?"
When kids are shunned, we take the time to talk about the friendship circle and why we care for everyone.
We direct negative emotions and encounters into more positive ones because love is the greatest thing there is.
We take the time to talk about compassion, rather than demand it, so that the kids understand the social choices they are making.
We encourage group building projects that require each doing their part. Kids naturally want to build things in groups.

Risk assessment is integral to a child's learning and confidence. Often, in our learning environments, we put up fences around all danger because we are afraid to let our kids explore risk. Studies have proven that allowing kids an environment with mediated risks actually builds great confidence and self-awareness needed in order to boost imagination and invention.
Body awareness is also a huge focus at our school. We have a low teacher to student ratio (1:6). This ensures that we can watch and wait for opportunities to make sure the kiddos are taking proper risks and also encouraging new ones. This could be climbing a tree higher than ever before, or walking through a stream, or balancing on a log, or exploring a new part of the forest, or reaching out to a new friend. We love seeing them stretch and grow.