The Child in Nature
The Child in Nature
The inclusion of nature in the learning environment is critical in Montessori education. At Hershey Montessori, students interact with nature each day on our campuses filled with woods, trails, green spaces and gardens.
Children at every level at the Concord Campus enjoy a daily connection with nature, and guides use the natural wonders around them to encourage curious minds. Each classroom has its own, adjacent garden space that serves as an extension of the indoor classroom, and specially designed low windows that allow children to easily admire the outdoors while inside.
Outdoor curriculum is a component of the classroom in every season and includes:
- Daily walks
- Planting and harvesting the gardens
- Replenishing feeders for birds and squirrels
- Sweeping leaves and shoveling snow
- Learning to identify plant species
- Dissecting flowers
The appreciation for nature developed during these early years prepares students for the more complex outdoor concepts of the Huntsburg Campus.
The Huntsburg Campus at Hershey Montessori provides the ideal environment for 12-to-18 year old students to learn in a farm environment. Through their experience they learn intellectual and social skills that will benefit them for life.
Students on the Huntsburg Campus focus on the science behind all the systems used by human civilization, such as:
- Building structures to live and work in
- Raising animals
- Water treatment systems
- Growing and cooking their own food
- Managing natural resources
- Overseeing a budget and operating businesses
- Repairing and maintaining facilities
- Providing services to neighbors
Students come from all over the world to engage in Hershey Montessori’s unique farm school.
We encourage you to schedule a visit and see for yourself how students explore and excel through land-based learning.
