Discovery Park Nature Kids
A Nature Based Preschool Program for Kids 3-5 years

Nature Kids Downloads » Application Form OPEN HOUSE Informational Open House on Wednesday, February 1, 2012 from 3 - 4 p.m. for families interested in previewing the classrooms and finding out more about the Nature Kids Preschool program. All are welcome to attend (parents and prospective students). There is no need to sign-up- feel free to drop-by anytime between 3 - 4 p.m. This will be the last Open House before enrollment begins for the 2012-2013 preschool year.

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Situated on Magnolia Bluff overlooking Puget Sound, Discovery Park offers spectacular view of both the Cascade and the Olympic Mountain ranges. The park includes two miles of protected tidal beaches as well as open meadow lands, sea cliffs, forest groves, active sand dunes, thickets, streams, and ponds. We visit the different areas of the park throughout the seasons in order to encourage discovery of the outside world and our place within it.
"In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous."
--Aristotle

Program

Children develop their creative arts abilities in a variety of ways. We make an art or craft project and do a movement activity each day, and look for inspiration in nature as we explore outside. We believe that all children are artists and encourage self-expression through visual arts, song, movement, and dance.

Math is taught using resources such as blocks, sorting materials, and cooking activities. These resources are used for learning about classifying, patterns, sequences, adding, and subtracting. Math is also incorporated in the time we spend outdoors, using nature as the basis for learning about math.

Children investigate science in conjunction with creative arts and math with an emphasis on nature and ecology. Discovery Park itself serves as our living classroom to learn about science, whether through observing different types of weather or gaining an understanding of the life cycle of a tree by planting seeds and walking through the forest. Science is nature based and hands on.

Language arts are emphasized through all areas of preschool. Children are encouraged to tell stories, sing songs, listen to books, create their own books, act in plays, practice new words, and create their own silly words.

Finally, Nature Kids is a play based preschool. Creativity, imagination, and respect for others and the world around us are important aspects of the program. Children are encouraged to learn at their own pace through active play and discovery time. We recognize and celebrate the ever changing world of the preschooler in all areas of Nature Kids.

"The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity."--Dorothy Parker

Fees for 2012-2013

Full Year Tuition (mid-September to mid-May)
2 days/week           $1690+150 non-refundable deposit=$1840
3 days/week           $2678+150 non-refundable deposit= $2828
5 days/week           $4560+150 non-refundable deposit= $4710

(Scholarships are available.  Please contact the Director for more information.)

We have two different class options:

A morning class that meets from 9:15 a.m-12:45 p.m. and an afternoon class that meets from 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

As of 12/20/11, for the 2011-2012 preschool year, we still have spaces available in all of the 11 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. class options.  Please let us know if you are interested in registering for the 2011-2012 school year.

Requirement For Enrollment for 2012-2013

Children must be age 3 by August 31st, 2011 and must be potty-trained by the start of school (no pull-ups or diapers).

(We only accept applications from children who are eligible to enroll for the upcoming school year.  We do not have waiting lists for future years.)

Contact Information

Nature Kids Office: (206) 386-4273

Trixie Magsarili, Nature Kids Director
trixie.magsarili@seattle.gov

Erika Peterson, Nature Kids Assistant Director
erika.peterson@seattle.gov

Philosophy

Nature Kids Preschool provides an enriching, fun, child-centered program for children ages three to five. Our goal is to nurture the emotional, social, physical, and academic growth of children by providing hands-on experiences in the classroom and outdoors. These experiences all take place within a loving, creative, and respectful environment.

We use an experiential approach to learning, with a variety of materials for children to see and touch both in the classroom and outdoors. We engage all parts of a child's development through activities such as science experiments, arts and crafts, music, movement, and stories.

Nature Kids uses a thematic approach to learning. Each week we focus on a different theme in order to explore the world around us and develop an emerging awareness of our ever-changing environment. The aspects of learning that we focus on are: creative arts, science, math, language, and movement. For example, when learning about habitats, children might paint a habitat for a bird in the art area, observe ants at work building their nest in the science and math areas, read and make a book about a habitat in the language arts area, and act out what an animal needs for a healthy habitat in the movement area. Songs, stories, and games are incorporated into each day to explore the week's theme.

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