Curriculum

The natural environment is calming, fascinating, and best of all, limitless. Research indicates that when children play and learn in nature, they do so with more engagement, imagination and cooperation than in wholly artificial environments. At Natural Start Preschool, nature is the inspiration of our program.

Our nature-based curriculum is about discovery. It is about being in the natural world, moving about, touching, smelling, digging, finding things, noticing changes, and asking questions. This exploratory play is essential to the learning in our classroom and allows children to comprehend new experiences and enhances social and emotional development.

The Natural Start preschool curriculum is based on the Kentucky’s Early Childhood Standards and NAEYC’s developmentally appropriate practices which includes: Language Development, Art, Music and Movement, Woodworking and Construction, Sand and Water Play, Dramatic Play, Blocks, Cooking and Sensory play, Writing, Manipulatives, and Gross Motor. Through authentic experiences and hands on learning activities, children will be emotionally and developmentally prepared for kindergarten.

Using the many surrounding park spaces, the children will spend a significant amount of time during the preschool hours outdoors. The meaningful experiences students gain from interacting with various landscapes, natural elements, and the forms of weather are invaluable and a core part of the program. Additionally, we are surrounded by several wonderful small businesses, the VA hospital, and Carmel Manor. This gives great opportunity to connect with and learn from our community through service projects, field trips, and visiting community members.