A pilot program between the KEC and the Wallingford Board of Education, Kinderwoods educates Wallingford kindergarteners on nature.
Choate is an open campus that is integrated into the Wallingford community, possessing a tight partnership with Wallingford and hosting events with the town throughout the year. Last year, the Wallingford Board of Education and the Kohler Environmental Center (KEC) furthered this partnership by collaborating to launch a pilot program called Kinderwoods.
Once a month, kindergarteners from Moses Y. Beach Elementary School are bused to the KEC, accompanied by teachers and parent volunteers. The kindergarteners are divided into three groups with volunteers and teachers, and each group is designated a spot that represents a different forest type.The kindergarteners observe, listen, and draw their surroundings to record the seasonal changes they see in one spot throughout the year. They use thermometers to measure temperature changes, and they constantly interact with nature by touching and smelling leaves and learning about life cycles. They walk on a streamside trail, share nature-themed stories or poems, and have a free time to play.
“The program provides fun and educational opportunities for kids to spend time with their parents and teachers outdoors,” said Ms. Lena Nicolai, an adviser at the KEC. “It’s amazing to see how engaging, observant, and attentive the kids are.”
The program was founded last year by Ms. Adrienne Ferretti and Ms. Anne Porier from Moses Y. Beach Elementary School and was supported by Ms. Nicolai and Mr. Joe Scanio, the advisers at the KEC. The program started because Ms. Ferretti and Ms. Porier felt the need for the kids to spend time in nature. “There is a large body of research on the benefits of play for young children, including improved fine and gross motor skills, problem-solving, cooperation, self-regulation and many more,” commented Ms. Ferretti. “Ms. Porier and I also enjoy spending time in nature ourselves and want to share this experience with students.”
The program was funded by the Wallingford Education Foundation to cover the costs of transportation and teaching supplies, and the program was open to one kindergarten class. The last year’s program proved to be successful, so this year, the program was expanded to all six kindergarten classes.
“Since the start of the Environmental Immersion Program program, the goal was to engage a broader community at the KEC,” said Ms. Nicolai. “We have done educational programs for elementary kids through the Wallingford public library, and I met Ms. Ferretti and Ms. Porier, who were looking for places to host Kinderwoods program.”
Running the program requires communication and effort. Ms. Ferretti plans the visit schedule, arranges buses, and plans the sites that will be the base for each class with Ms. Nicolai and Mr. Scanio. She works with the Moses Y. Beach PTO to order materials for the students, such as hand lenses, notebooks, and colored pencils. She also coordinates trips with the other kindergarten teachers who are new to the program this year. Ms. Porier communicates with classroom teachers who are visiting the woods and collaborate with them on ways to extend their field experiences. She is working on implementing new science standards called Next Generation Science Standards to the program. She also receives feedback from the kids who are in the program and researches other activities that the program can do.
Kinderwoods is in its earlier stages of development, and there are many ways to expand this program. The program advisers hope to host teachers and educators from Wallingford who are interested in having a similar program in their schools. They hope to host a field trip day for later-year students once in fall and spring since many children who graduated from the kindergarten class say that they miss the woods.
Ms. Nicolai said, “I hope that the kids reinforce positive association with nature and increase their ecological and environmental literacy through this program. Some kids in this program have never been to the woods before. By being mini-scientists and naturalists in the program, the children gain confidence in interacting with nature, and I hope that they develop both intellectual and emotional attachment to nature.”
