Nature Nurtures Academy
The Greenhouse Schoolhouse
Nature Nurtures Academy is an outdoor nature-based school, however living in Canada with our cold winter conditions can make being outside all day more challenging. After plenty of brainstorming with friends and family the idea of a greenhouse schoolhouse came to be! I felt like the indoor space not only needed to reflect the natural world but be an extension it. Plus teaching sustainability, environmental stewardship, healthy living, and so much more is the heart of this school, so minimizing our ecological footprint by utilizing the greenhouse as a multipurpose space followed the vision for this school!
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(In the event of severe weather we do have access to a safe indoor area.)
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Benefits Of Having A Greenhouse In a School Setting:
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It supports the hands-on practical learning environment encouraged at Nature Nurtures - it is one thing to watch videos or complete a plant anatomy worksheet BUT have you ever actually tried gardening? It can take a lot of trial and error!
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Environmental advocates - bringing attention to sustainability and conservation naturally instilling a sense of responsibility towards the environment for the students.
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Nutritional education - engaging all senses in growing their own foods, students learn about healthy eating and nutrition. Developing gardening skills that will benefit them for a lifetime. Knowledge of where food comes from, farm-to-table understanding.
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Career exploration - not only could participating in this type of education inspire a passion in a agriculture, horticulture biology, or environmental sciences field of study but is also presents an organic opportunity to teach students how to create a simple business plan.
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Therapeutic learning environment - a greenhouse offers a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere and its natural elements help to reduce attached feelings of stress or anxiety.
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Connection and community - our small sanctuary that brings our growing community together!
Why Choose Nature Nurtures Academy?
It is imperative that Nature Nurtures Academy provides a safe environment for students to develop in their element. Research shows that children learn best outdoors, when we incorporate them into real life, when what they are learning feels meaningful. Rather then spend our days inside we like to make learning personal, outside. Rather then segregating classrooms we like to share our knowledge and skills with mixed age groups. Let's dive into the reasoning and research behind some of these ideas.
​Benefits of Mixed-Age Learning
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Children learn to interact with different ages and abilities​
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Children can learn new skills from one another
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Older students develop leadership and mentoring skills, reinforcing knowledge by teaching
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Boosts their confidence and self-esteem
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Children can learn from each other's strengths and collaborate to solve problems​​​
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Allows children to progress at their own pace
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Reduces competition in academics therefore reducing pressures and anxieties attached to education
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Mimics real-life social structures
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For younger children learning from their peers can often feel less intimidating
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The development of perspective-taking skills by regularly interacting with other children who knowledge and ability level differ from their own
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Many of these are skills are not often practiced or learned in a regular classroom setting and cannot be understood through worksheets and standardized testing. The valuable skills gained through mix-age grouping are evidence-based and offer flexibility without restriction to grade level expectations defining their success.
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Benefits of
Outdoor Learning: ​
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Enhances social skills by centering collaborative learning, teamwork, and conflict management skills
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Boosts creativity and imagination with more opportunities to have unstructured exploration time
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Improves memory retention and helps transfer information to real life situations in turn improving academics
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Better physical and mental health as being in nature is proven to lower anxiety, improve mood and attention, enhance immune system, regulate sleep and emotions, and so much more when "shinrin-yoku" or "forest bathing" originated in Japan in the 1980's
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Connects children to nature and encourages mindfulness as a daily practice
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Adds and element of risk and adventure that develops confidence, life skills, resiliency, and adaptability
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Science in relevant in all aspects of learning making hands-on STEAM experimentation an active tool for engagement
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Children have a very limited exposure to nature with rigid schedules, and an overabundance of advancing technologies and screen time. Shifting to nature-based education gives our children their childhood back. It is giving back their mental and physical health, their basic life skills, their curiosity and creativity, their impulse control and self-regulation skills, their sense of connection and belonging, and so much more.
Learning Opportunities at Nature Natures Academy
Children will have exposure to and develop a variety of academic and life skills that together will build a strong foundation to support future growth. Some examples of learning opportunities your child may experience while attending Nature Nurtures Academy:
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Scientific discoveries
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Language and Mathematics
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Gardening, growing food, sustainability
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Cooking and baking
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Connecting with wildlife
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Self-regulation skills
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Mindfulness, yoga, and meditation
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Teamwork and collaborative projects
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Shared responsibilities and routines
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Starting a business
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Financial literacy
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Risky play
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Fire safety and building
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Use of tools
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Land based knowledge ​
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Mapping and compass use
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Introduction to French and ASL language
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Music, dance, and drama
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Artistic exploration
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Daily physical activity
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Though we may not have any farm animals at the new location... YET, at a school surrounded in nature, learning can happen unexpectedly, stop you in your tracks, and change daily as we follow the seasonal flow and rhythm of the natural world. ​As an educator and parent, I understand not only the value but the need in providing a space that allows our future generations to find meaning through their education. We are all born with an innate desire to learn. At Nature Nurtures, the goal is to instill a desire for life-long learning, empowering children who grow into future adults, who never stop asking questions, connecting with nature, and aspire to make a positive impact in this wonderful world.
