Here children can make a home for themselves inside their own body, heart, and mind - inhabiting themselves to become their truest self. We support each child on their individual path of unfolding their own individual gifts and challenges. The learning environment at Tree of Life allows children to grow and thrive through the development of vital human capacities: work, play, movement, balance, sensory experience, well-being, imagination, intimacy with the natural world, creativity, love, kindness, and strength of will to name a few. We believe these capacities are the foundation for all of learning and for life.
Building these capacities is the children’s own essential work to do. We trust that their job is to take up this work and ours as their adults is to provide a nourishing and protected container in which they can.
As adults, we create the container at home and at school in which the children take up this essential task. The teacher and parents have shared intentions that keep the children grounded and oriented in their task of becoming.
We encourage the children to engage their will forces and honor the children’s agency and autonomy while fostering responsibility.
Together teachers and parents provide an environment in which children can learn to direct their own will toward the development of their truest self.
The parents, teachers, and caregivers create the container in which the children grow through clear boundaries, developmentally based expectations, supportive language, trust in the child’s own capacities and maintaining a vibrant picture of the child’s truest self.
The adult’s striving for self-development provides a model for the child’s self-development. As adults we are working to develop and maintain our own vital human capacities, including our own well-being, life balance, connection to the natural world, strength of will, sense of play, creativity, wonder, rest and a vibrant picture of our own truest self.
We in no way expect perfection and yet we trust that those who choose to participate in this program are striving and working toward these ideals. You will see a positive difference in your children. Here are some guiding intentions toward aligning your child’s experience between home and school:
The Natural World through the cycle of the four seasons is our home and trusted guide in our healing work together. Work and play in connection to and care of the natural world provides meaning and purpose and supports the development of the child’s agency, imagination, well being, and their groundedness and orientation toward the tasks of life and learning.
Boundaries and expectations support the development of the child’s agency, imagination, well being, and their groundedness and orientation toward the tasks of life and learning. Together we strive for clear and developmentally appropriate boundaries and expectations at home and at school.
Independent, unstructured time supports the development of the child’s will, imagination, well being, and their groundedness and orientation toward life and learning. Together we strive to allow the children time to day dream, to rest, to get bored, to get creative and inventive, to make their own fun, alone and with other children.
Movement and sensory experience support the development of the child’s will, imagination, well being, their groundedness and orientation toward the tasks of life and learning.
Screen time is not supportive to the development of the child’s will, imagination, well being, and their groundedness and orientation. Together we strive for a minimum amount of media, while the child is enrolled at Tree of Life. We strive for screen free activities w as nd real world experiences for our children when they are socializing and in need of down time.
Refined sugar and corn syrup in food is not supportive to the development of the child’s will, well-being nor their groundedness and orientation to learning and life. Together we strive for a minimum of refined sugar, while the child is enrolled at Tree of Life. We strive for treats made from coconut sugar, honey, maple, and fruit sugar.
The teacher and parents will meet monthly to share questions, strategies, support and celebrations in service of creating this shared container in which the children can grow towards their wholeness.