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About 6 weeks ago my family and I attended an open house at one of our local elementary schools, Big Thompson (Big T). The attraction was that the school just became a Nature and Science based school the previous year and we were curious about what went on there. We had no intention on switching elementary schools for our Kindergartner, and in fact had the house on the market ready to move to a new town. But....after visiting this school, we transferred my daughter to attend this school for 1st grade and took the house off the market.
While visiting the school we learned that they do a lot of the same things we do in our own home and that you don't find in the typical elementary school. Some of these things include composting, recycling, gardening, and an overall experience with intentional connections to nature. I was also very drawn to the amazing sense of community at this small rural school.
At the open house we took a tour of their 4 acre outdoor educational center. Getting the kids out of the class room and into nature is very important at Big T and I am excited that the kids will get to know this 4 acre of land very well and all the creatures and plants that inhabit it.
For today's Tree Huggin' Tuesday, I wanted to bring this Nature and Science program to your attention...whether you live in this area or not, if these are things you are passionate about, it is worth looking in to. I feel very lucky to have found this school and plan to send my kids there for their entire elementary school lives...this means setting up roots in a town that I almost left, and to tell you the truth, this really excites me!
If you are near the Loveland Colorado area and you are interested in this program, please give Big T a call. It is a free public school program and they take transfers from out of district. It would be great to let them know within the next couple of weeks if you would like to place your child there so they can work out details with class size, etc. If you are not in the area and this interests you, I encourage you to check out your local public school district to see if there is something similar going on in your area (and if not, is it something you can help make happen).
To learn more about Big T and their Nature and Science Program, please visit their website http://www.bigthompsonelementary.org/
I would also like to direct you to a nice post that Andy did on our One Small Change Blog regarding the recent oil spill and our dependence on oil...you can read this post here.
Happy Tree Huggin' Tuesday!
~Suzy
While visiting the school we learned that they do a lot of the same things we do in our own home and that you don't find in the typical elementary school. Some of these things include composting, recycling, gardening, and an overall experience with intentional connections to nature. I was also very drawn to the amazing sense of community at this small rural school.
At the open house we took a tour of their 4 acre outdoor educational center. Getting the kids out of the class room and into nature is very important at Big T and I am excited that the kids will get to know this 4 acre of land very well and all the creatures and plants that inhabit it.
For today's Tree Huggin' Tuesday, I wanted to bring this Nature and Science program to your attention...whether you live in this area or not, if these are things you are passionate about, it is worth looking in to. I feel very lucky to have found this school and plan to send my kids there for their entire elementary school lives...this means setting up roots in a town that I almost left, and to tell you the truth, this really excites me!
If you are near the Loveland Colorado area and you are interested in this program, please give Big T a call. It is a free public school program and they take transfers from out of district. It would be great to let them know within the next couple of weeks if you would like to place your child there so they can work out details with class size, etc. If you are not in the area and this interests you, I encourage you to check out your local public school district to see if there is something similar going on in your area (and if not, is it something you can help make happen).
To learn more about Big T and their Nature and Science Program, please visit their website http://www.bigthompsonelementary.org/
I would also like to direct you to a nice post that Andy did on our One Small Change Blog regarding the recent oil spill and our dependence on oil...you can read this post here.
Happy Tree Huggin' Tuesday!
~Suzy
Wow, what a great school! It must be fabulous to have made such an impact on your family already. I've been interested in these sorts of schools ever since learning about Alice Waters' Edible Schoolyard many years ago, long before I had kids.
ReplyDeleteThis is so wonderful! Alternatives in schooling are so fun :)
ReplyDeleteSounds like a wonderful school!!
ReplyDeleteThat is my dream school. I have always wanted to work at a school like this!! Congrats on finding such a wonderful school so close to you.
ReplyDeleteI am loving reading about the forward and progressive thinking going towards our fabulous kids and their learning!! It sounds like a great school. We need children learning to connect to and not disconnect from our planet.
ReplyDeleteWe recently moved to a rural area in BC that for a couple of years held a very similar school, that was then forced to close due to cut-backs and believe it or not-lack of enrollment!
I still feel sad that nothing similar has replaced that environmental school when I drive past it, and see the lovely swimming line of colorful, child-painted salmon hung along the fence, as though they are moving in a stream.
We decided to unschool, but had the school remained open, I might have tried it out.