Langley Forest School

“Imagine a first day at school where your parents drop you off not at a building, but at the edge of a forest. You see no playground, just trees and meadows. A smiling teacher greets you and invites you to place your lunch in her large pack basket. You sit on a log in a small circle and meet your classmates for the year. You will soon be spending the rest of the day exploring your “classroom”, which others call “nature”. You will come to view plants, stones and animals as fascinating teachers that capture your curiosity with new seasonal changes to notice every day. This could be a first day of school for a Forest Kindergarten student.” – The Canadian Forest School Movement by ZABE MACEACHREN, Queen’s University (LEARNing Landscapes | Vol. 7, No. 1, Autumn 2013) Happy Hours Preschool is a play-based preschool in the heart of historic Fort Langley. We help develop and nurture values that will prepare your child for their kindergarten experience – socially, physically, emotionally and intellectually. In order to build on the success of our current program, we are introducing forest school model for the 2014-15 school year. We believe that not only do children thrive in a play-based learning environment, but that extensive time outdoors can only serve to enhance their learning. We believe that today’s children are spending less time outside and more time indoors engaged in technology-driven activities. We believe that as parents and educators, it is our responsibility to steer our children away from this “nature-deficit-disorder” (Last Child Left in the Woods by RICHARD LOUV – 2005). Our new forest school program will serve to reconnect children with our ever changing environment, while creating a base of knowledge surrounding the importance of community and sustainability. The first of its kind in the Fraser Valley, our school will meet children’s needs for self-esteem, leadership skills, and kindergarten readiness, in addition to meeting a community need for alternative preschool options. Aligning with our current program, the new forest school model will be a non-profit preschool, managed by its parents. Our fully licensed ECE teacher will develop an outdoor curriculum while running each class with the voluntary assistance of parents. This keeps our program affordable through optional parent-involvement and allows parents to be more actively involved in their child’s education should they choose to do so.