Our Classroom
OUR school in the woods
Our unique location offers all the wonders of the Santa Cruz Mountains: giant redwood trees, vibrant ferns, slimy banana slugs, and a never-ending collection of sticks, feathers, and rocks. As an entirely outdoor school, our classes meet at various locations throughout the school year, including our Black Road Schoolyard and the newly expanded play area in the ravine below.
After storing backpacks, a typical day at Mountain School starts with getting used to the natural surroundings. Our outdoor classroom is designed to provide an atmosphere and environment where the children can develop positive feelings and attitudes toward nature. They can experience nature first-hand, free of an indoor world bound by order and neatness. They can get wet and dirty, but they know it is okay! They will learn to survive and thrive in less-than-perfect conditions, have fun, explore new adventures, and take risks!
Children take part in a variety of activities and materials designed to enhance their growth and development. The program is designed to respond to the age, developmental levels, and interests of the children in each class. Our program is child-led, nature and play-based learning.
When meeting at our school play yard, children can explore our antique water pump, carrying water down a carefully constructed gutter pathway to the sandbox, where children with shovels, trucks, and rubber ducks await the formation of puddles, tunnels, and dams. Children run to the chicken coop to greet the schoolhouse chickens and excitedly check for fresh eggs to take home. Climb a rope ladder, swing from the monkey bars, zip along the zip line, water the tomatoes, dig for worms, don some goggles, and watch your fingers at the woodworking station! There is no shortage of activities to engage, challenge, and delight your child.
At about the midway point of class, everyone is encouraged to help clean up, change into dry clothes, and prepare for Cooking Time. Parents rotate, providing snacks. Our cooking program focuses on back-to-nature, healthy foods that teach children how food grows and where it comes from.
After snack, classes participate in Circle Time. Designed to incorporate movement, song, storytelling, puppet play, and music, each class’s Circle Time is unique, just like our teachers! When energy is high, a hike, walk, or game may replace circle time. Participation in group activities is not required of the younger children. However, by four and five, we expect children to be able to participate in circle time. Our youngest classes end their day with lunch together, while our older groups close the day with a hike or other nature activity.
Outdoor classrooms vary from class to class. Saturday classes will use outdoor sites as available. The older classes (3/4s & 4/5s) explore a broader variety of outdoor locations throughout the year.
