Our children and adolescents have been deeply immersed in nature during the first month of school. From our youngest children working and exploring the outdoor environments to our Elementary and Adolescent students venturing off campus for field trips and overnight trips, there is so much happening at Greenspring!
Our focus this year is the Spiritual Nature of the Child and we are supporting our children with beautifully prepared outdoor environments and opportunities to engage with nature. Click through the photo galleries below to see photos and learn more about this big work!
Toddlers
Our Toddlers have been exploring their classrooms and outdoor environments with all of their senses. Guides and Assistants carefully model how to use the materials and the children eagerly soak in new experiences.
Children’s House
In Children’s House, our students have been enjoying the gifts of the outdoors. This year, our Children’s House Naturalists introduced sit spots – a place where the child can sit for five minutes away from distractions to observe nature and enjoy time in quiet reflection. Sit spots are a way for our children to try out a new way to enjoy the world around them – observing the sights, sounds, smells, and touch of the natural world.
In addition, our children have enjoyed the classic activities of the outdoor environments – working with manipulatives, gardening, reading stories, and fine and gross motor play.
Elementary and Adolescents
Our Elementary and Adolescent students have been exploring the natural world of the greater Chesapeake Bay watershed. Along with their work in the outdoor environments, Lower Elementary students recently traveled to Marshy Point Nature Center for a field trip to hike and explore. The children loved seeing and learning more about the creatures who live in the Bay watershed. Seeing the Monarch caterpillars and chrysalis was certainly a highlight!
In Upper Elementary, the students visited Echo Hill Outdoor School for an immersive three day trip. They had the opportunity to explore the Chester River by boat, complete a ropes course, and enjoy many team-building activities. See photos and learn more about their trip here.
Our Adolescents have been working on campus to prepare the new rain garden and sensory trail for our younger students. They have also been harvesting tomatoes from our gardens to create various dishes before the end of the season. In Art and Physical Education enrichment, they also have ventured off campus to visit Sherwood Gardens to sketch and Oregon Ridge Nature Center to hike.
What’s Next?
We look forward to sharing the many ways that our children and adolescents explore the outdoors this year. Stay tuned for more updates this fall.
