Nature Based Preschool to Open in Dayton
Dayton, OH - Learning Tree Farm announced today that their Nature Preschool is now open for the Dayton community.
Nature Based Preschool to Open in Dayton
Starting the last week of August, children ages 3-5 from all over the Miami Valley will meet in an outdoor classroom, located in West Dayton. All of the components of a high-quality traditional program are present but the part that makes this program special is that the environment and medium for discovery and learning are the outdoors.
We are so excited for the opening of the Learning Tree Farm Nature Preschool. Now, in addition to being a popular field trip destination for many schools in the Miami Valley, we will have young students experiencing life on the farm every week throughout the school year. It will be an opportunity to share everything that makes the farm special,” says Loralynn Hickey, Director of Farm Operations.
About the Nature Preschool
Children will discover local flora and fauna in the farm’s picturesque environment while exposed to literature, mathematics, science, social skills, and physical skills. Highlights of the program will include daily experiences in nature, exposure to animals, harvesting snack from the gardens, and first hand observation of the natural world throughout the year. That means that children go out in all kinds of weather! Rain, snow, and sun will find these children outside developing confidence and prove the old adage that there is no bad weather, just bad clothing.
“The component that most excites me is being able to start something new in the Dayton area that families are looking for. We have had a tremendous response from the local community. The sense of coming together as lifelong learners about the natural world and farming is what Learning Tree Farm is all about,” says Education Director, Meredith Florkey. Florkey will teach along with Rene Hick and Sarah Lamont who share a sense of excitement about aligning their personal missions and philosophies with their passion for educating young children.
Many families have chosen the farm as their first educational experience and are eager to be the inaugural class. The families and the farm are grateful to the Dayton Foundation, Molina, Fresh Thyme, and the Ohio Children’s Foundation as well as several individuals who supported this endeavor.
About Learning Tree Farm
Co-Founder, Jean Ryan shared, “Since the beginning, we have dreamed of having Learning Tree Farm be a school in some capacity, where kids can learn in the outdoors and have continuity. It is not the same as learning within the confines of a traditional classroom.” The farm was founded forty-three years ago by Jean Ryan and Sally Keyes as a place where children could have hands-on learning experiences in a traditional farm setting. Keyes shares that, “In today’s technological society, our kids may know how to figure out the apps on our smart phones, but they do not have the vaguest idea about how soil, sunshine, rain and seeds work together in nature to provide the food that sustains their lives. Imagine what a thrill it is for us to know now that preschool children in the Miami Valley will have these experiences.”
Learning Tree Farm offers many exciting programs for all ages. You can find out more about Nature Preschool and all of the farm offerings at www.learningtreefarm.org.
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