The Dragonflies Forest School
Dragonflies is a nature-based class for children ages 4 to 6. Held almost entirely outdoors in the woods around our Winston Prouty campus in Brattleboro, VT, it is based in the philosophy of “Forest Kindergartens” popular in Europe. We believe that our most basic tool for building resilience and fostering joy in children is to locate the “classroom” in the forest.
Children thrive in Nature, which provides optimal challenges, and optimal opportunities, for body, mind, and soul. The natural world in which we evolved is the best possible classroom. Forest-school teachers report that children have fewer social and behavioral problems when they are outside, and that they are happier, more self-sufficient, and collaborative with their classmates. We have found all of this to be true at Garland School.
The Garland School’s Waldorf-inspired roots are present in Dragonflies as well, through the rhythm, nature connection, and meaningful work that make up the foundation of the children’s days in the forest.
Join Us
Dragonflies class is open for enrollment to children between ages 4 and 6. Children should be toilet trained, able to walk a mile in the woods, and ready to fall in love with the natural world. If you think this class would be a good fit for your child, please fill out the application here and Laura Goldblatt, our director, will reach out to arrange a tour and a time to speak to our forest-school teacher, Andrée Zaleska.
Our Day
A typical day in the Dragonflies class starts with breakfast outside. We then head to our basecamp in the woods. Set beside a stream, and in between two large fallen trees, it features everything a child could want for outdoor play: water, rocks and trees for climbing, several swings, climbing ropes, a hammock, a “mud kitchen” area, a fire pit, and a table and benches for our projects.
In the cooler months we make a daily fire and roast dates or apples over it. Children are allowed to play freely within sight of the teacher, and can choose to engage in the daily project, or not.
We follow the wheel of the year, focusing on what each season brings, and on the animals and plants that we encounter in our daily adventures. We forage for edible plants, track animals, make bird feeders, make paints and dyes out of plants, cook over a campfire, tap the sugar maple trees, and much more. We hike regularly to a beautiful pond and explore around it, observing subtle changes that happen day to day in the New England woods, with guidance from teacher-naturalist Andrée Zaleska, who strives to answer all the questions sparked by our curiosity.
Dragonflies Fridays
On Fridays from 9am-2pm we open the Dragonflies class to children ages 4 to 6 who are enrolled in other schools. A day in the woods can be the perfect thing to balance a long school week. The Friday offerings will be as described above and also planned to “stand alone” so that kids can drop in and feel right at home.
Dragonflies Summer Program (Summer 2022-FULL):
Join us for the first two weeks of our summer program for our Dragonfly summer Program (June 27th-July 8th). The days from 9am-2pm are spent deeply invested and investigating outdoors in the woods and in our gardens.