Our Methodology

At FTFS we are nourishing our minds, bodies and souls in every aspect of our day. As we hear a story, we are building early literacy. As we master the paint brush, our spirit is soothed. As we play and work outside, we learn about plant growth, animals, and the natural world. We strive to create an educational environment where the whole person thrives the whole time, whether they are enjoying a full morning of outdoor preschool or the quiet, gentle atmosphere of a parent and child class. Fairy Tails Farm is a beautiful and sweet environment that we hope will nurture your entire family.

Waldorf-Inspired Early Childhood Education

Founding Teacher Alison Landeros holds a Waldorf Early Childhood Teacher’s Certification, and this is the foundational influence of our practices. Free play and the rhythmic cycles of the seasons are the heart of our school. In addition to Waldorf influence, we draw on European Forest School practices, loose parts play, and the idea that when given the opportunity, children are very capable of working together to teach one another in community. We believe that the work of the early childhood teacher is to craft an environment that helps the child develop both physically and socially in a healthy way. This provides the proper foundation for the development of the child’s social, academic and emotional life. Teachers strive to create an environment in which the young child feels secure, loved, recognized, and free. The child’s security arises out of being surrounded by warmth and beauty, and by experiencing the certainty of a predictable rhythm. Daily, weekly, and seasonal rhythms help to ground the child in the natural rhythms of the earth.

Rhythm

At Fairy Tails Farm School, our daily and weekly rhythms set our students up for joy, smooth transitions and good physical energy. The children know what to expect day in and day out and it is their way of telling the time of day. Our daily structure is balanced between energetic and restful activities. Each day will include experiences with process art, Spanish language immersion, and practical activities.

self-directed free Play

At Fairy Tails Farm School we hold child-led imaginative play sacred. We see it as important work being done. We provide plenty of time and materials for children to build, experiment, create small worlds, move their bodies, or just be. Our goal is to allow the children as much autonomy as possible to direct their own true, deep play. While adults may look at a loose-parts based schoolyard and see a junkpile, children see a world of possibilities, and we honor their vision. Teachers are there to shape an appropriate environment, supervise, model practical skills, and provide support when needed.

“In the preschool/kindergarten our toys consist of natural materials ….. When children play with toys that become something else as their play changes, they learn to work with and live in their environment.”

- Barbara J. Patterson and Pamela Bradley, Beyond the Rainbow Bridge

Engagement with the Practical Arts

“The brain discovers what the fingers explore. The density of nerve endings in our fingertips is enormous. Their discrimination is almost as good as that of our eyes. If we don’t use our fingers, in childhood and in youth we become “finger-blind,” this rich network of nerves is impoverished – which represents a huge loss to the brain and thwarts the individual’s all-around development. Such damage may be likened to blindness in itself. Perhaps worse, while a blind person may simply not be able to find this or that object, the finger-blind cannot understand its inner meaning and value.” ~Matti Bergestroem, Professor and Neurophysiologist

Experience in the practical arts allows children to build confidence in their ability to execute meaningful tasks and to practice care of self and care of the environment. Students will be involved in gardening, handwork, woodwork, cleaning, and care of our animal friends.