Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary is proud to introduce a nature preschool for 3-5 year olds located at Endicott Wildlife Sanctuary in Wenham.
Recent studies confirm that children are spending less time engaged in vigorous outdoor play. The Ipswich River Nature Preschool provides young children on the North Shore with early educational experiences that fosters the development of the whole child and a lifelong relationship with nature.
The program, which launches in fall 2015, features:
- Highly qualified teachers with backgrounds in early childhood and nature education
- Nature-based, emergent curriculum promotes language, math, and social development.
- Two, three, and five day class groupings for 3-5 year olds from 9:00 am-noon, with options for early morning care at 8:00am and lunch bunch until 1:00pm.
- Beautiful classrooms, outdoor play areas, and gardens
Location
Endicott Wildlife Sanctuary’s 40-acre landscape in Wenham offers a variety of opportunities for exciting daily investigation, observation, and discovery. We spend a substantial amount of time outdoors where hands-on science activities, nature walks, and gardening foster curiosity and creativity.
Inside our two spacious classrooms, nature themes continue with children’s literature, music and movement, dramatic play, cooking, blocks and building, and art activities.
Additional experiences include field trips to Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary in Topsfield for seasonal activities such as maple sugaring, vernal pool observations, and ponding.
Curriculum
Ipswich River Nature Preschool is grounded in developmentally appropriate state and national early childhood education guidelines. Our emergent curriculum approach emphasizes purposeful and productive play as a way to enable children to grow physically, socially, emotionally, and intellectually.
Project Approach
While interacting with nature, children’s questions and observations provide the road map for short and long term investigations and projects that integrate math, science, and literacy.
Preschool classroom at Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary
Children become motivated storytellers and writers as they document their observations of a robin’s nest. They use math in meaningful ways as they predict and record the number of days it will take for a butterfly to emerge from its chrysalis, for example.
Productive Play
Young children learn best through purposeful and productive play. Outdoor play experiences such as building a fort or digging a channel between two puddles provide children with opportunities to practice the social and intellectual skills of planning, problem solving, decision making, and collaboration.
Building fairy houses under the canopy of the beech trees, turning over logs to look for salamanders, and harvesting fresh vegetables for snack from our gardens are just a few of the ways that children engage all their senses.
Creative Learning
The beauty of our gardens and woods inspire joyful self-expression and creativity through the arts. Natural materials are incorporated into painting, drawing, weaving and sculptural experiences that allow children to visually convey their ideas and emotions.
Family Communications
Strong relationships with families are cultivated through multiple opportunities for parent participation. Teachers regularly share documentation of children’s learning with parents through private blogs, photos, and video. We welcome parent volunteers and help families connect with one another during family potlucks and programs.
Classes and Schedule
School begins in early September and runs through early June. With a few exceptions, we follow the vacation schedule of the Wenham/Hamilton public schools. Our class sizes are small–no more than 16 children with three highly qualified educators who are licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care. Children must be three years of age prior to September 1 to be considered for admission.
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Option 1
- Tuesday & Thursday
- 9 am–noon*
- $3,500 per year
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Option 2
- Monday, Wednesday, & Friday
- 9 am–noon*
- $4,500 per year
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Option 3
- Monday-Friday (5 days)
- 9 am–noon
- $7,500 per year
*For an additional daily fee, children may participate lunch bunch until 1:00 pm. Early morning care may also be available at 8:00 am.
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