TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL
Trendy alternative pre-Ks ditch the classroom for the forest
F OR 3-year-old Leela, going to preschool doesn’t involve learning the ABCs, practicing her counting or snack time. Instead, her typical school day involves tilling soil and planting flower bulbs. The Jackson Heights tot is a student at Forest Explorers, an outdoor preschool in the Queens Botanical Garden.
Forest schools — pre-K programs that take place almost entirely outdoors, even in the winter, and em- phasize free play in the dirt over a structured curriculum — are becoming increasingly trendy among organic-produce-obsessed mamas and bearded papas.
Forest Explorers, which also incorporates arty, unstructured Waldorf education and other progressive teaching models into its approach, has a lengthy wait list, as does Little Leaf forest school in Westchester County. Brooklyn’s Prospect Park has not one but two forest schools operating in its
“We’re not telling them what to do or limiting them in any way . . . There is no fence, no walls.” — Forest Explorers school leader Kelly McLane
grassy meadows.
“They are becoming extremely popular,” says Manhattan school admissions expert Emily Shapiro. “There appears to be increasing demand from parents.”
The educational approach eschews traditional preschool activities such as counting and learning letters. Instead, kids are encouraged to make mud pies, pick up worms, eat natural foods and drag tree branches around, often while singing songs praising nature.
The philosophy originated in Wisconsin early in the 20th century. It gained little traction in the US, but was enthusiastically adopted by Germany, Holland and Scandinavia, where it’s been popular for decades. Now, it’s having its school day here.
Forest Explorers, which opened in March 2017, has 22 students, ranging from 2 to 6 years old, who aren’t separated by age.
“The children are able to support each other through different growth processes,” says leader Kelly McLane.
Kids attend the program two to four days per week for three-hour sessions, which each cost $39.
The school day begins at 9:30 a.m. with children playing freely with rocks, twigs and garden tools in the 39-acre botanical garden.
“It’s completely self-guided,” says McLane. “We’re not telling them what to do or limiting them in any way . . . There is no fence, no walls.”
After they’ve cleaned their tools, the students sit in a circle and sing songs. They then share an al fresco meal, such as homemade bread and hummus, supplied by a parent. It’s never called a snack, because that suggests a quick bite rather than food enjoyed consciously and communally.
Next, they go to a blanketed outdoor area with pillows for story time. In inclement weather, they’ll head to a tent. Afterward, there’s more open play and gardening activities.
“We don’t teach numbers or letters per se, but if I notice a child lining something up and counting, of course, we will go there,” says McLane. “But there’s no push for that.”
The approach is similar at Little Leaf school in Hastingson-Hudson, which was started in 2015 by Theresa McCaffrey, a former elementary school teacher, and is set on the sprawling grounds of a senior living facility.
“Our philosophy lends itself to the wonder of the childhood years and we enlarge [the students’] social and emotional space,” says McCaffrey.
Tuition for the 10-month preschool, which runs from 9:15 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. five days per week, is $14,000. That’s several thousand dollars cheaper than trendy cooperative preschools, where parents help with maintenance to keep tuition costs relatively low, in Brooklyn. Even in winter, school takes place outdoors, although in particularly windy or icy conditions, classes are held in a building provided by the nursing home.
“Forest schools tend to believe there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes,” says McCaffrey.
Parents must send their kids with waterproof boots and thick jackets.
Experts say such a hearty approach to education isn’t for every child.
“Certain dispositions and temperaments are not necessarily suited to this way of learning, because it is not structured,” says child psychologist Michele Borba, author of the recent parenting book “UnSelfie.”
Admissions specialist Shapiro is a fan of the schools, but notes that they don’t have a proven track record when it comes to getting kids into prestigious prep programs such as Brearley or Dalton.
“You can’t just say in your admissions essay: ‘My kid played in the woods.’ The admissions staff needs to know more about how it helped your child develop as a person,” she says. “You don’t have the shortcut of coming from All Souls [a posh Upper East Side nursery school], and the director of All Souls saying this kid is a good match for your program.”
Still, Shannon Van Loon firmly believes the forestschool model is best for her son Arden, 4, and daughter Genevieve, 2. Both are thriving at Little Leaf.
“The activities foster more creativity, and there are a lot of studies that show fresh air is good for kids,” says the Hastingson-Hudson mom. “Once they start going to regular school, they are not going to have this kind of opportunity.”
And, she’s not worried about what it will mean for elementary-school admissions.
“Maybe some people think it’s a little odd because of the lack of focus on academics and that the children are going to get behind and not be kindergarten-ready,” she says. “But others think it’s really cool.”