WATERSHED LEARNING CENTER PROGRAMS
Kindergarten & Elementary
NEW for FALL 2009
HOMESCHOOL NATURE CLASS
MONDAYS 10:00 - 3:00 at Kezialain Farm in Westtown. Open to kids ages 5 - 14. Under 5 considered on individual basis. 10 Weeks beginning September 15, 2009.
FREE SPIRIT FOREST FRIENDS
A Weekly Outdoor Nature Awareness Program for Homeschooled Youngsters.
This mixed age group meets weekly for a full day of outdoor exploration, adventure, and cooperation. Participants will trek to our outdoor home base where we will explore, create, and learn. The children will develop comfort in and appreciation of the outdoors through activities such as firemaking and outdoor cooking, natural shelter building, nature observaion, and crafts from natural materials. Teambuilding, cooperative games, and awareness activities help participants develop skills and confidence.
Our leaders are staff of Free Spirit Nature Camp, and are skilled in Wilderness Mentoring, children's programming, arts and crafts, outdoor skills and character education. Frequent guests will contribute their special skills and experience and share their enthusiasm for the outdoors with the students.
For more information CLICK HERE.
Watershed Learning Center Full Day Program Ages 4 -11 Tuesday/Thursday 9:30 - 2:30
The Watershed Learning Center’s program offers safe, engaging play and natural learning opportunities.
In the Center’s cozy classrooms and nurturing environment, students learn to work together with others, express feelings clearly, and to respect themselves, their classmates and teachers, and all living things.
Our curriculum is individualized, with a foundation in age-appropriate natural history, geography and science, music and the arts.
Nature and outdoor awareness are part of each day with daily outdoor time.
We carefully nurture early and emerging reading skills in a playful and patient atmosphere.
We recognize the importance of unstructured playtime, and provide plenty of time for play: indoors and outdoors, hiking, playing in the woods, and spontaneous games on the fields and lawns.
Our students engage in healthy large and small motor skill development, get the exercise they need, and have daily opportunities to express that boundless energy that is the very meaning of childhood.
The program is supplemented with frequent field trips to local parks, trails, and other relevent community destinations.
The Watershed School offers a well-rounded curriculum with emphasis on the key academic areas: English language and literature; history and geography; mathematics and problem solving; earth science, natural history and ecology. Yet academic learning makes up only part of the Watershed School day.
Students create projects and portfolios, and pursue goals developed by the parents, student and teacher together. Each student’s instruction will be individually designed and authentically assessed, including reporting to satisfy NYSED home school requirements. Students will also work on the creation of developmental portfolios and other authentic assessments. Watershed Learning Center provides support to families and assistance with Homeschool Reporting forms and Home Instruction Plans.
We provide a context for student’s spontaneous growth and learning, as well as structure for organizing and understanding their journey.
We have a clearly defined Democratic process that we, as a school, consciously participate in. Students take responsibiilty for themselves, learn to keep their word and be accountable to others, and to communicate their ideas and feelings. We create a safe, caring community guided by knowledgable, passionate adults in which our children can learn and grow.
Each child's program is individualized and developed with the cooperation and partnership of each student's parents. Frequent communication and readjustment of program and goals when neccesary ensure that students are progressing on a desired path.