School News: Public-Private Partnership Teaches Students about Nature

Fall 2018

Nature is Earth’s classroom, but, unfortunately, not all children have an opportunity to get that education. Choate Rosemary Hall (CT), however, is sharing its access to nature with local students.
                 
Through a public-private partnership program called Kinderwoods, once a month—rain or shine—kindergarteners at Moses Y. Beach Elementary School, their teachers, and volunteer parents are bussed about a mile away to the Kohler Environmental Center at Choate Rosemary Hall for a three-hour forest stay. Each visit includes time for observation and discovery, drawing in notebooks, snacks, and free play. Over the year, the children familiarize themselves with a place in the woods and become aware of seasonal changes. The greenhouse manager, Lena Nicolai, answers children’s questions and identifies organisms in the forest and the stream, and notes new sights and sounds during each visit.
                 
Since 2012, the center has welcomed more than 850 children through its programs, which is supported through the Wallingford Parks & Recreation Department and the Wallingford Public Library. In 2015, kindergarten teacher Adrienne Ferretti and school librarian Anne Poirier, who had attended several of these programs, reached out to Nicolai to explore the creation of the Kinderwoods program, which welcomed 120 children last year. A grant from the Wallingford Education Foundation initially covered the cost of transportation and teaching supplies. The Moses Y. Beach PTO will support the program in the future.

Pictured: Through a public-private partnership, Choate Rosemary Hall (CT) welcomed 120 children last year to its Kohler Environmental Center. Courtesy Choate Rosemary Hall (CT)

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