An elementary school day involves a lot of adult directed tasks and sitting still indoors. At Acorn Afterschool we offer a relaxed environment where children can play freely, mostly outdoors. We work to facilitate peer play by providing materials, toys and spaces thoughtfully chosen and designed to encourage creativity, cooperation and imagination. We model cooperative problem solving, kind, specific language, and inclusion. Acorn children build strong friendships and a solid sense of community with one another.

Expressing gratitude builds and spreads positive feelings both internally and externally. It gives us a sense of connection to the earth and to other beings, as we recognize the worth and goodness to be found in the life around us. At Acorn, we foster gratitude daily through mindfulness, modeling and songs. As teachers verbalize what we notice, admire and wonder at in the world around us children internalize this way of thinking and behaving and they learn to spontaneously share their own observations and appreciations. We also have more structured, regular sharing times where we take turns reflecting on and verbalizing what we feel grateful for. Singing together is another great way to share a feeling of thankfulness, so we frequently sing songs of gratitude especially before we eat snack together.

• Going over our “Job Chart” and find out what everyone’s job is for the day.
• Singing songs (typically which relate to our current area of study and/or the season.)
• Having “sharing turns” (where 2-3 children have a chance to “show-and-tell.”)
• A “Word of the Day” (practice with letter formation, identification and sound correspondence.)
• “Calendar Work” (where we learn the days of the week and months of the year as we fill in a blank calendar. This routine also provides daily practice with counting and number formation.)
• A curriculum related activity.
• A “stuffed animal play” modeling positive social skills and/or problem solving.

RESPECT FOR ALL LIVING THINGS: Fundamental to the culture at Acorn is a deep respect for the balance of nature and the important place each living thing has in the web of life.

NATURE NAMES: Acorn children are given “nature names” from animals, trees and plants specific to Acorn land. This experience gives children a sense of connection to the living beings that share the woods and fields with us. Associating both themselves and their friends with local animals, trees and plants helps children develop a strong bond to the natural world.

OBSERVATION SKILLS (Owl Eyes/Rabbit Ears/Fox Nose): The woods are an ever changing, interesting place. Throughout our time outdoors, children are encouraged to use their senses to gather information, make connections and wonder about what surrounds them.

SCATS & TRACKS: We are always on the lookout for evidence of animal life in our forest. Children learn experientially and through the use of field guides how to read the stories of the animals in our forest.

WILD EDIBLES & OTHER USEFUL PLANTS: As we move across the landscape, children learn which plants can be useful to humans. Children help teachers gather ingredients for a forest tea or just for a nibble. (The rule is children can only eat things that a teacher directly gives them to eat.) We also harvest wild plants that can be used for natural dyes or other art projects.

FIRE BUILDING: We learn the elements that bring a fire to life (wood, air, spark & song.) Children help to gather materials (wispies, finger sticks, arm sticks) and help construct the “house” for the fire to live in.

BUILDING WITH NATURAL MATERIALS: Children use the resources they find around them (fallen sticks, stones, leaves, moss, etc.) to enhance and inspire their play.

SENSE OF PLACE: Through the experience of being outdoors daily, though the seasons and all sorts of weather, children cultivate a strong sense of belonging within nature. Children help establish and name landmarks, navigate over over natural terrain, and develop a mental map of the Acorn land.

“Who wants to take a wander?” That’s a common phrase at Acorn. Maybe there’s something in the distance we want to get a closer look at or maybe it just feels like a good moment to explore. Usually a small, self-selected group, but sometimes all of us, head off in whatever direction catches our fancy to see what we can see. It’s interesting to check on whether the waterfall is flowing, find out what’s over the next ridge, discover a chipmunk’s acorn cache, examine an egg sac, and follow some intriguing animal tracks and scat. Children excitedly point out things they notice and wonder aloud about what insect left that cocoon or why that tree fell down; interesting discussions ensue and questions to think more deeply about come up. Wandering gives children space to listen to bird sounds and touch the moss as they move through the forest, and a chance to stop and taste the rosehips.

At Acorn we believe that children are capable, intelligent, resilient and loving and are inherently interested in being helpful and kind. We build children’s innate, budding capacities for empathy and fairness, as well as their cognitive skills for thinking critically about what is happening around them. Our program fosters a confident sense of identity without needing to feel superior to others; an ease with human diversity; a sense of fairness and justice; the skills of empowerment; and the ability to stand up for oneself, for others and for life everywhere. Through the activities we introduce, the books we share, the materials available for play and the use of accurate and respectful language, we consciously focus on providing an inclusive approach with the goal of developing self-assured, thoughtful and caring human beings. A fundamental part of our work at Acorn is implementing the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s 4 goals of an anti-bias education: Identity, Diversity, Justice & Activism. For more information on naeyc's anti-bias education, click here.

At Acorn, we love books! Our extensive library of beautiful fiction and non-fiction books is put to use daily as we read aloud at snack or lunch time, in the woods and in the school house. Children enjoy sitting with books on their own or with their friends, taking a “picture walk” or remembering favorite parts from a book read before. Teachers always have a selection of field guides in their backpacks for use out in the woods.

Enjoying books together is a great shared experience. Listening to a book gives children a chance to get lost in a story that gives wings to their imaginations, providing context for meaning-making and insight.

Books are great teachers. Some books give children a chance to see representations of themselves that help them feel a sense of belonging and self-worth. Others provide exposure to new perspectives and people of diverse backgrounds, languages, and abilities. Reading helps children gain empathy for and appreciation of other people as well as for other living things. Books open windows onto the big, wide world!

At Acorn we love art projects! Art is a means to express the imagination and understanding. It provides a process through which children can play with ideas and concepts. Art supports:

• Creativy
• Oberservation
• Understanding
• Self-expression
• Focus
• Perseverance
• Flexibility
• Collaboration
• Risk-taking

At Acorn, children have experiences with all sorts of mediums and materials: drawing, painting, collage, sculpture, natural dyes, sewing and more! Things we find in nature are often both the inspiration and materials in our art. We do both group projects (like murals, mobiles, giving trees) and individual projects children can take home.