Fall 2023
- Mondays and Tuesdays
- 9:00am – 11:30am
- Ages: 3 to 5
- Ratio: 12 students to 3 staff (or 8 to 2)
- $595 for 14 sessions
- September 11 – December 19 (No session the week of of November 20th)
- Calleva Farm: 19120 Martinsburg Road, Dickerson, MD 20842
Farm and Forest Cubs
We are excited to announce Fall 2023 Farm and Forest Cubs!
Calleva’s newest spring, fall, and winter program for our youngest nature explorers combines ‘fun on the farm’ with the ‘Forest School’ philosophy. Originating in Scandinavia in the 1950s, The Forest School movement has become popular across Europe and the US over the past few years. It shares many of the founding beliefs of Calleva.
Our Farm and Forest program is a drop-off program for 3 to 5 olds, designed to let children experience nature through play and foster their excitement in the natural world. Our Farm & Forest Cubs ethos emphasizes social and emotional development, as well as cooperation, teamwork, kindness, compassion and empathy.
Typical Session ‘Flow’ for Mornings
9 Arrival and welcome at ‘Cubs Cottage’. Gather together to talk about adventures ahead.
9.20 FARM* Simple farm chores such as feeding the animals, collecting eggs, weeding, or picking vegetables in the greenhouse. Visit bunnies, pigs, chickens, cows, or horses.
10 ish FOREST* Short hike into the woods. Brief daily reminder about how we keep ourselves and each other safe.
10.15 Snack time & story or share as a group.
10.30 ish Nature activity, exploration, and open-ended free play in the woods and stream!
11.20 Walk back up through woods to gather belongings and meet parents.
*Farm and Forest sessions are often reversed depending on the interest of children on a particular day. Although we talk about the ‘flow’ of each session, our staff have no fixed agenda for the children to follow. Each morning we offer an optional daily nature project, such as; building elf houses, tree decorating, stone or stick sculptures, senses trail, finding & identifying creatures in streams, bird feeders, and bridge building. However, the children’s play and interests guide their education. Children have a huge capacity for absorbing information and making connections – and in our experience, we have found that the more they are interested in something, the more knowledge they can take in and retain.
