Maybe Life is always like being on a trapeze or a tightrope at the circus...
At my age, Happy Hour is a nap.
Iterations are fine, we don't have to be perfect
My 2nd Location:Florida HardinessZone:10 AHS:10 GDD:8500 Rainfall:2in/mth winter, 8in/mth summer, Soil:Sand pH8 Flat
s. lowe wrote:I'm also not certain what you are wanting to know but I'll offer up this.
We send our child to a "forest preschool" that is led by a Waldorf trained teacher. Its generally what you're describing, at the teachers home, centered on the garden and adjacent woods, and built around meaningful play. We pay $45 per day basically, works out to less than $9/hour for us and is wonderfully enriching for our child. There are no more than 7 kids on any given day.
Maybe that can help you think about the economics of going pro?
Maybe Life is always like being on a trapeze or a tightrope at the circus...
Brody Ekberg wrote:
s. lowe wrote:I'm also not certain what you are wanting to know but I'll offer up this.
We send our child to a "forest preschool" that is led by a Waldorf trained teacher. Its generally what you're describing, at the teachers home, centered on the garden and adjacent woods, and built around meaningful play. We pay $45 per day basically, works out to less than $9/hour for us and is wonderfully enriching for our child. There are no more than 7 kids on any given day.
Maybe that can help you think about the economics of going pro?
Thank you, this was helpful! I read online of a couple similar “forest preschools” and definitely want to pursue something in this direction. My wife’s on board and we have a friend here who’s very interested in being a part of it as well. I’ll try to remember to post updates as we figure things out and get into it!
Nicole Alderman wrote:I'm pretty sure Waldorf schools are governed by a Waldorf education. When I looked into it (YEARS ago), there was extra years of schooling required beyond a teachers certification to teach in a Waldorf school. I do not know if this still pertains or if it applies to preschool. But, I would not use the term "Waldorf" without a lot of research into it. I really like the Waldorf mode of education, but there is a lot more to it than is on the surface. The same applies to Montessori education (though I don't think Montessori schools have any of the religious/spiritual undertones that Waldorf schools have...).
I think a Forest/nature school is a good idea, especially in these times when people are concerned about the spread of germs. Kids really do benefit from outdoor play in nature. You'll want to look into having a sheltered area outside for kids to be in inclement weather, and figured out how much you want to be inside vs outside. The Forest School at my son's school is entirely outside--parents are required to provide clothing and gear for their kids for all weather (rain, snow, hail, etc).
Some potential ideas for activities:
- building shelters with sticks (like a debris shelter)
- bean pole shelter (you could also have kiwi/grape arbor)
- a children' garden and lessons/activities tied to it (The School Garden Cirriculum might be helpful for getting ideas https://permies.com/wiki/108808/School-Garden-Curriculum-Kaci-Rae)
- Teaching through play. Basically letting them play in unstructured play and guide them as they play.
- This thread might have some useful ideas for teaching through nature/gardening https://permies.com/t/137137/Ways-teach-basics-gardening-practicing
- Nature walks--I used to do these a lot when I taught preschool. We'd get all the kids and "go for an adventure" and I'd point out plants along the way and talk about relationships between plants, have them taste edible things, etc. Some kids will pick stuff up that you're trying to teach, while others just gain knowledge from the act of being in nature.
This thread has some ideas for simple play structures/areas https://permies.com/t/84942/Permaculture-Playground-Diner
Having perennial gardens (chives, sorrel, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, self-seeding kale, pansies. etc) has been a big hit for my kids. They love munching on the edibles, and those plants are a bit more resilient than annuals.
I don't know if any of that is helpful. I agree with others that this won't likely give you more time to work on the property. You'll probably have a lot less, because running a preschool takes lots of time in cleaning and preparing food and all the other maintenance stuff, and you might be a bit worn out at the end of the day to want to tackle things on the property, and you don't want to leave projects half-done and have kids hurt themselves on an unfinished shed or something. But, I also think this is a really worthwhile thing you guys are thinking about doing. Kids need this, now more than ever. And their parents need this, too!
This quote by Sepp Holzer says it all for me "I don't expect anything from politics. As I see it, things will only change if children grow up with nature...because children who grow up with nature, protect their nature." https://permies.com/wiki/137395/Permaculture-Desert-Paradise-movie-Sepp
Maybe Life is always like being on a trapeze or a tightrope at the circus...
Details on our home build as owner builders here
Megan Coyote Wilson wrote:What area are y’all located in?
Maybe Life is always like being on a trapeze or a tightrope at the circus...
If you are using a wood chipper, you are doing it wrong. Even on this tiny ad:
A rocket mass heater heats your home with one tenth the wood of a conventional wood stove
http://woodheat.net
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