Early Childhood Education Programs
Young children have an innate curiosity about nature and the outdoor world. Quiet Heart’s early childhood education (ECE) programs capitalize on this curiosity and use hands on activities in the classroom and developmentally appropriate explorations outdoors to help children make connections with the natural world.
We have three different program options for existing ECE programs or groups.
Field Trips
What will nature share with us today? In our field trips, students spend approximately 2 hours at a local park with a Quiet Heart instructor, using their 5 senses to develop naturalist skills.
Topics covered can be flexible to meet the needs of your group and can include:
- Nature Scavenger Hunt
- Meet a Tree! Learning about the life cycle of trees
- Whose Habitat is that? Looking for evidence of animal habitats
- Colors in Nature: Exploring the different colors all around us
- Water explorations: Learning how water flows in a forest and who depends on it
Details
* Approximately 2 hours at a local park
* $200 per instructor (A second instructor may be needed for larger groups)
* Maximum 15 students per instructor
* Adult chaperones requested (minimum 1 for every 4 students)
Classroom visits
What’s your BIG QUESTION of the day? At Quiet Heart’s in class programs, our instructors will ask your students questions like “Whose tracks are these?” or “What do animals need to survive?” and use natural specimen and hands on activities to explore all the possible answers.
Available programs include:
- Whose tracks are those? Learning about animal feet and tracks
- What do animals need to survive? Create a habitat for a slug
- What makes a plant a plant? Investigate a plant
- How do plants grow in the spring? Seed explorations
- What is a rock? Using observations to learn about rocks
Details
* Approximately 45 minutes per class
* Maximum 20 students per class
* $115 per class session
Young Naturalists
With this learning option, a Quiet Heart educator will visit your classroom of up to 20 students monthly or bi-monthly for a 45 minute session. Our curriculum is designed to progressively build naturalist learning and follow the seasons with lots of hands on learning and opportunities to ask big questions! Each session involves a gathering circle time, an activity, and a concluding reflection. We are able to tailor the program for individual classroom needs and spaces. This option is best suited to children ages 4+. The fee for the Young Naturalists program is $90 per session.
Details
* Approximately 45 minutes per class
* Monthly or bi-monthly visits
* Maximum 20 students per class
* $110 per class session