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Nature Preschool Program
Roots and Wings (for ages 4-6)

Register now for Fall 2008!

In Roots and Wings outdoor nature preschool, children ages 4-6 have fun and explore the natural world around them through nature activities for kids, such as songs, stories and walks, and by observing plants and animals with all of their senses.

As with all Wilderness Awareness Youth Courses, enrollment in our nature preschool is limited to ensure individual attention and mentoring opportunities for each child.

Roots and Wings Nature Preschool is committed to planting seeds for children's growth and connection with nature; safely, respectfully, with confidence and fun.

Activities and Focus

• Circle time with songs and stories
• Nature walks
• Familiarity with the four directions
• Nature awareness games
• Nature activities for kids
• Safety in nature
• Plant and animal awareness
• Sensory awareness
• Nature skills
  

2008-2009 Nature Preschool Information

Course Registration:	For more information about course registration or to apply, call our office: 425-788-1301
Class Meets:	Wednesdays, and/or Fridays; 9 am - 1 pm; Linne Doran, Duvall*. Participants choose to attend one, or two days per week. (*We are 15 min. from Woodinville, WA; 20 min. from Redmond, WA; 30 min. from Bellevue, WA; and 50 min. from Seattle, WA).
Classes start:	Sept. 10th and 12th, 2008 are the first days of the Wed. and Fri. programs.
Classes end:	The first week of June, 2009

Tuition

Annual: $1850 (one day per week); $3,600 (two days)

Non-refundable Deposit

$500, due upon registration (includes $25 place-holder deposit). Deposits are due upon registration. The remainder of tuition is payable in three payments due September 1, January 1, and April 1.

Scholarships

If you require tuition assistance, we invite you to submit a Scholarship Application along with your application for Roots and Wings Nature Preschool (download a Scholarship Application in PDF format, complete it and mail it in).

The non-refundable registration deposit is required to hold the place of all registrants, regardless of scholarship status. If, within two weeks of scholarship notification, scholarship applicants decide not to commit to the course, we will refund your deposit in full. (This is the only situation where the deposit is refundable.)

To Apply

Call the office: 425-788-1301

Our Educational Philosophy

At the core of our approach to educating young people is our concept of "Passion-based learning." This is the idea that every one of us has special gifts to bring to the world, things that spark our passions in life.

Our school's fundamental goal is to awaken this spirit in our students, and to help them identify and pursue their gifts. We believe that the most effective learning happens when young people are pursuing what they love, and so truly desire to learn.

Equally important is our philosophy that the most effective learning happens when students figure things out "on their own."

In their efforts to do this, they are individually guided by mentors who strive to create experiences and opportunities for students to discover their own answers.

We call this method Coyote Mentoring, a technique that encourages creative thinking rather than providing answers, and results in much deeper learning. It also stimulates the growth of problem-solving skills, and stretches the students into greater self-sufficiency in their living and learning.

Our Instructors

Sol Marie Doran is a Coordinator and a Lead Instructor at Roots and Wings. She is also a lead instructor at Youth School. She came to Wilderness Awareness School from southern California, where she worked with Wilderness Youth Project, ran an early childhood outdoor program, and earned a B.S. in Ecology. She currently studies naturalist skills with Kamana and herbalist skills at Ravencroft. Her other passions include beekeeping, ethnic dance, and gardening. Contact Sol

Kat Koch is an instructor for Roots and Wings. She also manages the Product Sales Department and is a Kamana 2 responder. An eclectic blend of experiences brought her out to the Pacific Northwest to study in the Residential Program. She went on to apprentice with the school in tracking and mentoring and finally stepped into an instructing position. This year Kat is participating in the Tracking Intensive and working on Kamana 3. Past experiences include teaching English in China, working for a library, interning on an organic farm and doing community theater. Contact Kat

Cyndi O'Brien is a Coordinator and a Lead Instructor at Roots and Wings. She found her love for the natural world while attending summer camp as a youngster and being a camp counselor as a teen. After traveling Europe and attaining a University degree in Fine Arts and Crafts with an emphasis in Secondary Education, Cyndi found the work she loved--sharing nature with children. Cyndi has taught Environmental Education in Southern and Northern California for several years before and after graduating from the Residential Program in 2003. In 2006 after having adventures in Alaska, she returned to Washington and joined the Wilderness Awareness School staff to teach Youth School and Roots and Wings. Cyndi is excited about permaculture, canning food, sitting in her sit spot, music, learning more about nature and having wild adventures. Contact Cyndi

John White is an instructor at Roots and Wings and Youth School. As a native of Carnation, WA, he attended Community School, and went on to serve as a lead Summer Youth Programs instructor in 2006. John is a student in the Kamana Naturalist Training Program, and completed the first level of the Shikari Tracker Training Program. He is passionate about being a student of nature, mentoring others, primitive living crafts and skills, stone tool construction, and writing and performing music.