MOUNTAIN LIFE - Blue Mountains | Winter 2021

30 “Our key objective is to inspire curiosity and a passion for learning,” says Jeff. “We place a heavy focus on emotional intelligence, focusing on the whole student.” After more than two years of research and preparation, Hundred Acre Wood Forest Preschool opened in fall 2019 at The Woods at Kimbercote. A licensed non-profit early years child care provider, Hundred Acre Wood’s focus for their little ones (18 months to 4 years) is on the natural world—inquiry- based learning using natural materials, with most programming taking place outside, year-round. Board chair Kimberly Edwards co-founded the school after the birth of her first child, when “childcare wait lists were long and our options were limited,” she says. “I wanted to create childcare that matched our values of life being intricately connected to the natural world. Our children see what we value from a very early age and assume it is what should be valued, so they can turn to those values throughout life for resiliency, comfort, health.” The centre has taken great pains to extend its holistic approach to the food provided each day, creating relationships with local farms and grocers to source organic ingredients for home-cooked meals served fresh in the outdoor classroom. Located on the same historic Kimbercote property, School in Nature is a local extension of Elephant Thoughts’ international educational resources. Currently in its early stages, the school offers weekly outdoor programming focused on environmental stewardship, cultural diversity and inclusivity. A key principle to the program is its accessibility to every student, and the majority of programs are available free of charge to all. With plans to go full-time in the near future, founder Jeremy Rhodes sees the growing centre as truly a school in nature, rather than an outdoor school. Its academics-forward curriculum will place its primary focus on global citizenship and exposure to cultural elements, taking learning into the woods and creating connections with members of the local and world-wide communities. A passion for conservation spurred Sarah Ney to start Wildlings Camp four years ago. With a background in scientific field research and global work with children, her goal is to educate children about their power and their voice through science, nature and play: “Once they know more about wilderness, they’re going to love it and want to protect it.” Recently expanding to weekly programming, Wildlings operates with the understanding that “kids know more than adults,” and Sarah often reaches out to children and parents for input on their current interests, building curriculum around this feedback. “If I’m going to learn from someone who’s passionate, I’m going to learn that much more…”