The learning experience
A day at the Idea Garden.
The Idea Garden combines intentional teaching with hands-on exploration, creative thinking and meaningful play. Children learn new skills, practise what they know, and apply their thinking in ways that feel relevant and engaging.
Literacy
Words open worlds.
Literacy begins with stories, conversations, questions, sounds, letters, and the many ways we communicate. Short, engaging lessons, developed through years of experience and grounded in research, build foundational skills. Children then put those skills to work through play, books, writing, storytelling, games, art and dramatic play.
Math
Thinking you can touch.
Math comes alive through real-world, hands-on problems. A short daily lesson builds essential skills that children carry into the provocations I set up and into play: building, counting, comparing, grouping, sorting, measuring, patterns, puzzles, games and problem-solving.
Art & innovation
Make something that doesn't exist yet.
An ongoing art and innovation station invites children to create, invent, experiment and express themselves, with open-ended materials replenished daily and chosen with sustainability in mind (natural, recycled and repurposed). I'm a woodworker and maker, so I can help kids in lots of different mediums. My teaching background tells me that focusing on the process usually sparks more learning, creativity and confidence than focusing on the finished product.
Inquiry
Follow the idea.
Sometimes a question becomes a project. Sometimes a discovery changes the direction of the day. If your child becomes fascinated by something, let's build on it. My plans provide direction, but they aren't set in stone. I observe, reflect and adapt, so we can follow the spark while still meeting the learning goals.
The outdoor classroom
Three acres to explore, and kilometres of trail beyond.
Outdoor exploration is part of our everyday rhythm, in every season (extreme weather permitting). Children observe, investigate, move, imagine, take manageable risks, and connect with the living world. As their interests change, so can our outdoor spaces.
The Millennium Trail
Kilometres of safe, car-free trail right from our doorstep.
A shallow pond
Visited by turtles, beavers and amazing birds. In winter it usually freezes solid for slipping and sliding, always checked day to day.
A slow-moving creek
It runs along the edge of the property.
Raspberries & apple trees
And, this spring, a raised-bed garden we'll build together to see where food comes from.
Mud kitchen & building station
Plus outdoor art stations and a slackline.
A firepit
Lit only once fire safety has been taught.
Rhythm, not rigidity
Predictable enough to feel secure. Flexible enough to follow curiosity.
Children feel safe and confident when they know what their day will look like. They also need time to become absorbed in an idea without being hurried along. Here's our starting rhythm:
Literacy learning
A short, engaging lesson, then provocations and centres to flow between, then open-ended activities building reading, writing, language and communication.
Snack break
Hands-on math
A short, engaging lesson, then provocations and centres, then open-ended activities developing number sense, mathematical thinking and problem-solving.
Snack break
Outdoor exploration
Investigating, moving, noticing, imagining and connecting with the natural world.
All day long
Art, innovation, dramatic play, reading, conversation, one-on-one time with the educator, and child-led discovery weave through the whole day.
The details will evolve as I get to know the children. If rain is coming, we might head outside first and do literacy last. On nice days the garage doors may be wide open and we'll learn inside and out all day. Any change is made in the children's best interests, and so that they feel safe and secure.
Purposeful, engaging, full of possibility.
A child might practise counting while building a structure, explore new vocabulary through a favourite story, measure materials for an invention, or investigate a question discovered outdoors. Behind each of these is intentional teaching: I introduce skills, notice what children understand, see where they need support, and create chances to practise and extend their learning.
“When are we doing the school part?”