Nature’s Classroom
Research has shown that students who play and learn in outdoor settings perform better on tests, have higher grade point averages, an increased enthusiasm for learning, and have better concentration and self-discipline in a classroom setting. Further, these children have advanced motor fitness – including coordination, balance and agility, and stronger immune systems – as well as increased ability to reason, think creatively, and problem solve.
Our nature-based program provides children with both structured learning time as well as time to learn through their own self-initiated discovery.
In one of Connecticut’s first certified Nature Explore classrooms, Surreybrook teachers integrate nature into the daily curriculum and gives children the chance to experience education from another perspective- outside the walls of a classroom. The children spend the majority of the day outdoors, in a stimulating, hands-on learning environment. Our outdoor classrooms will awaken a child’s senses and interest them throughout the seasons. Activities include science experiments, yoga classes, musician visits, art projects, animal and plant-related presentations, and imaginative play within the Nature Play Areas. Recognizing that each child is unique, the children are given the freedom and space to choose activities according to their interests and developmental readiness. There are ample opportunities for the children to explore and oftentimes a project will emerge from one of their discoveries. Experiencing a deepening relationship with the outdoors, children come to understand their place in nature and are inspired to care for others and the natural environment.