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The Eastern Ridge School

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    • Who We Are
    • What is a Nature-Based Approach?
    • Preschool Forest Days
    • A Typical Day at ERS
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    • Toddlers
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    • NEW!! DRAGONFLIES: Forest Immersion SUMMER CAMP for Children ages 6 – 9.
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The Eastern Ridge School

What is a Nature-Based Approach?

Nature-Based-Preschools
Feature article in Washington Parent Magazine, July 2020
by ERS Program Director, Julie Liddle and Lead Teacher, Christina Blocksom

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-early-childhood-nature-schools-pandemic-20200925-32nr6tef7vgq5nq7haloxeunde-story.html

Admissions Tours

If you are interested in enrolling for the current school year (we have one spot to fill for a 4-5 year old) or for the 2023-2024 school year, please reserve a spot for one of the following tour dates:

All tours take place at 10:00AM and last approximately 1.5 hours

Wednesday, December 7
Tuesday, January 10
Wednesday, January 25
Tuesday, February 7
Wednesday, February 22
Tuesday, March 7
Wednesday, March 22
Tuesday, April 18
Wednesday, May 3

Calendar Dates, 2022-2023 School Year (School Holidays and Teacher Workdays)

First Day of School: Mon., August 29
Teacher Workday (school closed): Fri., September 2
Labor Day Holiday: Mon., September 5
Indigenous People’s Day: Mon., October 10
Teacher Workday (school closed): Mon., October 31
Parent-Teacher Conferences (school closed): Tues., November 1
Thanksgiving Break: Wed., November 23 – Fri., November 25
Winter Break: Mon., December 19 – Mon., January 2 (school resumes Jan. 3)
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: Mon., January 16
Presidents’ Day: Mon., February 19
Spring Break: Mon., April 3 – Fri., April 7
Teacher Workday (School Closed): Mon., April 10
Teacher Workday (School Closed): Mon., May 1
Parent-Teacher Conferences: Tue., May 2
Memorial Day: Mon., May 29
Last Day of School: Wed., June 7

Learn More About Our Programs

  • Toddlers
  • Early Childhood
  • Extended Day
  • Summer Camp
  • Distance Learning
  • Parent/Child Class

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Rainbows are a powerful symbol with a multitude of Rainbows are a powerful symbol with a multitude of associations in our culture. That’s probably because they are one of the most beautiful and intriguing manifestations of the natural world. For young children, the wonder of rainbows witnessed in the natural world is the perfect intersection of “magic”, science, and art. Over the past several months, our preschoolers have explored light, optics, and color theory through hands on investigations, observations, and projects involving multimodal avenues of experiential learning including observations with light and prisms, individual and group art projects, paint mixing and discussion of color theory (primary and secondary colors), sorting tasks, reading lots of books and singing lots of songs about color and rainbows, expanding vocabulary and cognitive skills by learning Spanish and sign language for color words, and culminating in the creation of a huge 3-D rainbow to grace our big window. #emergentcurriculum #naturebasedlearning #projectbasedlearning #naturebasedpreschool #rainbows #STEAM
These moments captured reminded me of the value of These moments captured reminded me of the value of giving children both the time and the materials for open ended play, with teachers nearby but only intervening when necessary. This multi-age interaction involved children from all three classes ranging from our youngest to our oldest student, and every one of them was "in flow" with this elaborate play scheme that involved hibernating animals storing food. There were many more nuances to the play that I was not privy to, but the children each played a part and were fully immersed in this cooperative world they had created from their own imaginations and themes inspired by the natural world. The last picture was taken the next day, as the theme continued and was expanded to a new location with additional loose parts. #loosepartsplay #playbasedlearning #outdoorpreschool
Instagram post 17903402834718728 Instagram post 17903402834718728
Things sometimes get cozy like this by 4:45 on Fri Things sometimes get cozy like this by 4:45 on Fridays. #compassionatechildcare #storytime #almosthome #tgif
Doesn’t this just beckon you to come play in the Doesn’t this just beckon you to come play in the woods? I wish I had done more of this in my childhood. It’s never too late! #forestschool #forestpreschool #outdoorpreschool #learningoutside #playbasedlearning #getoutside #getoutdoors #intothewoods
Far Away Hill has a special magic, and the magic o Far Away Hill has a special magic, and the magic of our own little slice of forest comes to life when ignited by preschoolers imaginations. Nature gifts us with loose parts big and small, allowing for infinite possibilities for imaginative play, healthy risk taking, collaboration, problem solving and physical challenge. #forestschool #naturebasedlearning #naturebasedpreschool #getoutside #preschool #forestmagic
Giving Tuesday is a great time to consider support Giving Tuesday is a great time to consider supporting the causes that are important to you. Help us plant seeds and nurture roots to grow children connected Self, other, and their place in the natural world. https://gofund.me/6b7a66ec
Gratitude lunch today! Thankful for our ERS family Gratitude lunch today! Thankful for our ERS family and a delicious lunch all together under blue skies, warm sunshine and accompanied by the singing birds. ☀️ @eatflowerchild
Pumpkin "portrait" session with 3-4 year olds. It Pumpkin "portrait" session with 3-4 year olds. It was a delight to facilitate this exercise with the children today. They were all keenly observant, focused, and invested in the process. By taking the time to slowly notice and talk about details like shape, texture, lines, bumps, and markings, the children were primed to really "see" the pumpkin and then draw what they saw. There are a range of ages and developmental levels in this diverse group, and different skills develop at different times in different children. Regardless of what you see in each child's art, this activity exercised/stimulated a range of neural pathways in each child’s brain! As always, our emphasis is on the process, not on the result being a prescribed product. #observationaldrawing #preschoolart #developmentallyappropriateart #capablekids #natureinspired
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  • Home
  • About Us
    • Who We Are
    • What is a Nature-Based Approach?
    • Preschool Forest Days
    • A Typical Day at ERS
    • Teachers and Staff
    • Board of Directors
  • Our Programs
    • Parent/Child Class
    • Toddlers
    • Early Childhood
    • Extended Day
    • NEW!! DRAGONFLIES: Forest Immersion SUMMER CAMP for Children ages 6 – 9.
    • Summer Camp
    • Distance Learning
  • Admissions
    • Visit Us
    • Is ERS Right For My Family?
    • What our parents say…
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Tuition and Fees
  • Support Us
  • Careers
  • COVID-19 Updates
  • Contact Us
    • General Inquiries
    • For Educators
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