Curriculum
Play truly is a child’s work. Children learn through their play, especially when their play is supported by an intentional, dedicated adult. Our environment is ever-changing to inspire, provoke, and deepen children’s play.
Circle time is spent building community, singing and dancing, and engaging in hands-on activities. We do not have calendar time, letter of the day, or worksheets at Story Garden. We do have experiential learning, deep relationships, and JOY.
Play-Based
At Story Garden Preschool, we shape the curriculum around the individual needs and interests of the children attending. This means that curriculum is not planned out months in advance—instead it happens on the spot. Great care is taken to notice the interests, passions, and wonderings of children. Learning can happen anywhere and at any time. When caring adults are in-tune with children, they can spark an early love of learning that will last a lifetime.
Emergent and Child-Led
Nature Focus
Our little slice of heaven in Martinez gives us ample room to spend hours outdoors every day. Here children dig for worms, tend to the garden, pick fresh fruit, roll in the grass, and discover caterpillars, frogs, lizards, and newts. A deep connection to the natural world is one of the top priorities at Story Garden. Inspiration is taken from John Young’s Coyote’s Guide to Connecting with Nature, Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods, and Jane Worrol’s Play the Forest School Way. We find meaningful experiences with nature in our own backyard. We build forts, observe birds, hunt for bugs, learn about flora and fauna, get to know the land, and discover a long lasting connection to the natural world.
We also spend every Monday in playing all morning in the forest of Briones Regional Park. Children are dropped off and picked up at the Alhambra Creek Staging area, where we climb tree, search for Newts, and engage in imaginative play.
