Summary The Forest School model, is a school that takes place outdoors (forest, park, meadow, and woodlands). The model originated in Sweden and Denmark in the late 1950s and Canada opened up their first forest school in 2008. The Forest Schools’ philosophy is to “Inspire. Aspire. Transform.” (Forest Schools Education). They have an outdoor educational approach on alternating days, allowing the children to explore the different forests or parks near the centre. Some schools give children an opportunity to explore the outdoors for the full day, while others may just be for half of the day, it all depends on the age group. The days/time the children are not learning outdoors, they are in a ‘typical’ childcare/classroom setting. However, the
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This program is a school/life readiness program to help children going to Full-Day Kindergarten or the first grade. The program is available for children 2 ½ years to 6 years old, however, they encourage the families to send their children to Full-Day Kindergarten. Since the program is for the Aboriginal community, they include Aboriginal culture in their play-based curriculum such as the Seven Grandfather Teachings and the animals that represent each teaching, discussions about the 13 moons, the Smudging Ceremony and teaching children basic words in Ojibway. When planning the curriculum, they look at the child as a whole and ensure all developmental aspects are taken into consideration, including a child’s spiritual development. The classroom setting includes different learning areas, labels in Ojibway and English, minimal display of children’s artwork, a family tree posted on the wall with the children and their families’ pictures and documentation posted at the children’s eye level . The room has a lot of natural lighting, the colour scheme is neutral and it gives the children a home-like feel. The role of the educator in a Head Start program is to guide and support the children in their activities and development. Each school/centre also has a coordinator who is available to help families and also arrange different …show more content…
All three models allow the children to freely explore their learning environment and choose their own activities, however, the Head Start program does have a more structured schedule. The roles of an educator in both the Forest School and Montessori model is to observe the children and be available for assistance. Whereas, in the Head Start program the educator guides and supports children throughout the day. The Forest School is an outdoor program, whereas, Head Start and Montessori are indoors in a classroom setting. Each model also differs in their group sizes and ratios, the Forest School has a ratio of 1:4 for each age group, the Head Start program has a ratio of 1:8 for preschoolers and Montessori also has a 1:8 ratio for casas (preschoolers), however, the casa age group is 3 years to 6 years old. One of the major differences between all three models is the main purpose of the model. For the Forest Schools they provide children with an opportunity to explore the outdoors (nature), the Head Start program teaches Aboriginal culture, and the Montessori model is based on academics and real life experiences. That being said, each model plans their curriculum keeping the children’s development in mind and each model incorporates nature and other life experiences into their
This program is a school/life readiness program to help children going to Full-Day Kindergarten or the first grade. The program is available for children 2 ½ years to 6 years old, however, they encourage the families to send their children to Full-Day Kindergarten. Since the program is for the Aboriginal community, they include Aboriginal culture in their play-based curriculum such as the Seven Grandfather Teachings and the animals that represent each teaching, discussions about the 13 moons, the Smudging Ceremony and teaching children basic words in Ojibway. When planning the curriculum, they look at the child as a whole and ensure all developmental aspects are taken into consideration, including a child’s spiritual development. The classroom setting includes different learning areas, labels in Ojibway and English, minimal display of children’s artwork, a family tree posted on the wall with the children and their families’ pictures and documentation posted at the children’s eye level . The room has a lot of natural lighting, the colour scheme is neutral and it gives the children a home-like feel. The role of the educator in a Head Start program is to guide and support the children in their activities and development. Each school/centre also has a coordinator who is available to help families and also arrange different …show more content…
All three models allow the children to freely explore their learning environment and choose their own activities, however, the Head Start program does have a more structured schedule. The roles of an educator in both the Forest School and Montessori model is to observe the children and be available for assistance. Whereas, in the Head Start program the educator guides and supports children throughout the day. The Forest School is an outdoor program, whereas, Head Start and Montessori are indoors in a classroom setting. Each model also differs in their group sizes and ratios, the Forest School has a ratio of 1:4 for each age group, the Head Start program has a ratio of 1:8 for preschoolers and Montessori also has a 1:8 ratio for casas (preschoolers), however, the casa age group is 3 years to 6 years old. One of the major differences between all three models is the main purpose of the model. For the Forest Schools they provide children with an opportunity to explore the outdoors (nature), the Head Start program teaches Aboriginal culture, and the Montessori model is based on academics and real life experiences. That being said, each model plans their curriculum keeping the children’s development in mind and each model incorporates nature and other life experiences into their