Outdoor Education

With over an acre of wooded hiking trails, our outdoor nature classroom is an amazing laboratory for study of the natural world around us. Toddlers and preschoolers plant and tend organic vegetable gardens, yielding a bounty of fresh vegetables for summer snacks. In concert with our Carrot Patch families, we are engaged in the continuing evolution of this magical wooded environment for our children to revel in the wonders of nature.

Our outdoor classroom began with the expertise of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, the Yale Child Study Center, an architect, two biologists, a builder, and a long-time early childhood educator. Since then we have tapped area resources, including a botanist from UConn's Agricultural Experiment Station and a retired forester to increase the knowledge base for our studies. The Preschool and Toddler teaching staff engage in continuing education targeted to enhance their use of the outdoor classroom. Our preschoolers visit the outdoor classroom nearly every day--rain or shine, and the toddlers enjoy frequent "field trips."
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Construction Zone

Preschoolers enjoy exploration and role-playing in our Construction Zone and stone quarry! Building materials and equipment are available for inspired creative play! Put on a hard hat and join in the fun!