About the Program:
With extraordinary history, natural landscape, and easy access to Bellevue, Renton, and Issaquah, Cougar Mountain makes for an ideal location for an outdoor preschool. Modeled on the first outdoor preschools that started in Denmark, Sweden, & Norway over 50 years ago, Tiny Trees uses the natural environment as the third teacher. Your adventurer will ramble through endless acres of big mossy trees, explore secret meadows, and uncover bugs, frogs, and worms in the streams and marsh. As the school year progresses, and little legs get stronger, we’ll hike to hidden waterfalls and seek mountain views. With a diversity of landscape, and a regional majesty, Cougar Mountain is an ideal location for exploration and hands-on learning – presenting ample opportunities to learn math and science concepts through the natural world. This is our largest park, with lots of little trails full of big wonder, and the best opportunities for big nature: bird watching, animal viewing, and bug hunting.
In our awe-filled outdoor classroom, your young explorer will play with symbols, letters and ideas and build the social skills and resilience needed for a lifetime of success. They will play in a language rich environment, hearing and seeing words for the names of the trees, plants, and creatures that make the forest home. Numbers and symbols will be incorporated into daily play to build early math skills. To explore the world of science, and test their theories of the natural world, your child will plan their own experiments and share what they have learned with classmates through daily plan – do – review sessions.
Your child’s outdoor classroom is a 5 minute walk from the parking area, and secluded from the main trail and other users. Each day will start and end here with a schedule that includes plenty of child-directed play, social interaction, and excursion time in a learning rich environment. A fresh and healthy snack is included in the program. The classroom includes a private portable bathroom & hand-washing station, and a picnic shelter in case of inclement weather.
Toilet Independence Requirements:
Must be able to use the porta potty.
