About the Program:
Woodland Schoolhouse is a licensed, home-based, nature-focused preschool serving children 3 1/2 – 5 years old. Located in Southwest Austin and adjacent to Stephenson Nature Preserve, we are also fortunate to have easy access to many nearby nature preserves and wilderness areas. Frequent visits to these wilderness areas are woven into our weekly curriculum and are what make our school so unique. In addition to a Reggio-inspired curriculum approach and inspiring classroom environment, each week children enjoy the opportunity to spend hours of uninterrupted time soaking up, exploring and discovering the natural world around them.
Our curriculum and topics of investigation are most often nature-inspired. I am a strong advocate of the project-based curriculum approach, similar to what you might see in Reggio Emilia classrooms. Instead of creating a steadfast curriculum plan that can be repeated year after year, I am carefully observing the children, taking notes, considering what overarching themes are developing and where their interests are leading them. From there, my role as the teacher is to present carefully selected materials, plan meaningful field trips and ask thoughtful, open ended questions that might Drive their play and inquiry to the next level. I am intentional when determining which areas of study are best child-directed and which will benefit from teacher direction or intervention. My primary goal when guiding children is to support a process of questioning, hypothesizing, observing and reflecting.
Toilet Independence Requirements: