“Where the child is guided by nature.”
“The land is where our roots are.
The children must be taught to feel and
live in harmony with the Earth.”
-Maria Montessori
The Six Acre Wood
Montessori Farmhouse is situated on six acres of wooded forest where wildlife and nature are abundant throughout the grounds, providing exploring and learning in an outdoor classroom environment. Every Friday, the full-day primary class goes on a nature walk on the wooded trail loop that crosses over the creek by footbridge and many more natural curiosities along the way. Children are invited to identify plants, notice seasonal changes in the natural habitat, use their listening ears to recognize birds calling across the canopy and notice insect life doing their busy work among other learning opportunities.
The fall is a special time of year for the nature walk as the salmon travel through the creek bed on their way to spawn. The children get an up close look as this lifecycle and learn valuable lessons on the importance of stewardship to protect our streams, rivers and the rich ecosystem of our forested lands.
Lantern Walk
The Lantern Walk is a seasonal festival celebrated by many Waldorf communities in honoring ancient traditions of carrying light into the darkness of the coming winter. Every fall, our school children and their families are invited to join us for an enchanting lantern walk through the school’s forested trails in the six acre wood.
The evening begins with the children making tea-light lanterns to guide our way through the forest. Next, pumpkins and gourds are carved and when all the pumpkins are lined up and illuminated, it’s quite a sight! Snacks and apple cider will provide us with a tasty dessert before we take time to gather around the fire pit for a little warmth and song. The evening concludes with a magical lantern walk through the dark forest. The forest path, which is illuminated, guides you safely along the trail, over wood bridges and around mossy logs.
Farmhouse Store
The Farmhouse Store is a weekly event that is managed by the Kindergarteners and helps them learn useful skills in management, counting money, using a calculator and customer service. The store is located in the office and is full of unique items for sale; art materials, old fashioned toys, lunch box supplies, and handmade items made by some of the children, staff and families. Don’t miss the after school snacks for sale, too! All the proceeds go back into the school program providing valuable materials for the classrooms and outside environment.
Hello!
The Chicken Coop
The Montessori Farmhouse has a working chicken coop with egg laying hens and one vocal rooster.
The children have many opportunities to help care for our feathered friends by offering bits of grass for a snack, observing their behaviors for signs of various needs and the best part of all - collecting the eggs!