Nature & Science
TCS is rooted in nature. We have three distinct outdoor play spaces, surrounded by tall pines, as well as miles of forest trails to wander and explore behind our school house. We consider the great outdoors a second classroom—offering continual moments of wonder, variation, beauty and surprise. Children spend time outside each and every day, in all but the most inclement weather. And the things they do there! Water slides in summer, fort building in fall, sledding and snow persons in winter, garden planting every spring, treks to vernal pools, and dramatic play in troll land in the forest. Fresh air and outdoor gross motor fun— biking, running, climbing, balancing, jumping—foster robust health. Nature walks and gardening forge a relationship to the earth.
“All of this is a great forest. Inside the forest is the child. The forest is beautiful, fascinating, green and full of hopes…”
Nature and science are inextricably linked: both invite children to venture beyond the known. Children build theories—yes, even infants theorize!—about their encounters in the great outdoors, rich in sensory inputs. What is this smell of the fallen leaf? What happens when I jump in this puddle? Or crush the yellow heart of this flower between my fingers? Why does a worm wiggle? Preschoolers carry nature journals into the woods, pausing to listen, see and capture nature’s smallest details.
To deepen children’s scientific inquiry, we partner with educators from the Montshire Museum of Science (MMS), our next-door neighbor. Preschoolers take walking trips down to the museum and, in return, MMS educators visit our classrooms and playgrounds, offering Science Yoga and STEM (Engineering) challenges to 2-5 year olds.
