Mountain School Explorers
Curiosity begins here
Mountain Explorers is The Mountain School at Winhall's nature-, play- and inquiry-based Pre-K program for children preparing for Kindergarten.
Our goal is simple: to develop curious, confident, kind and capable young learners without rushing them out of childhood.
Children build strong foundations in early literacy, language, mathematics, science, social-emotional development and creative expression through purposeful play, thoughtful teacher guidance and meaningful experiences.
But much of the magic happens beyond the classroom.
Our trails, woods, greenhouse, pavilion, playground, fields and frog pond become places to investigate, build, imagine, create and wonder. Children spend meaningful time outdoors throughout the year and experience Vermont's changing seasons as part of their education.
Ready for Kindergarten — and Excited to Get There
Kindergarten readiness means more than knowing letters and numbers.
We want Mountain Explorers to enter Kindergarten able to wonder, communicate, count, create, listen, cooperate, persist, solve problems, care for themselves and others, take appropriate risks and approach new experiences with confidence.
Strong literacy and mathematics foundations are intentionally embedded throughout each day while teachers observe each child's development and individualize opportunities for growth.
Play With Purpose
At Mountain Explorers, play is learning.
Children build, climb, create, negotiate, pretend, question, experiment and solve problems. Teachers intentionally create environments rich with language, mathematics, science and opportunities for collaboration while giving children significant freedom to determine where their curiosity leads.
Vermont's Early Learning Standards recognize play as a primary means through which young children develop cognitive, social, physical and self-regulation skills.
Inspired by Children
Our program incorporates research-based practices found in The Creative Curriculum alongside educational practices inspired by the schools of Reggio Emilia.
We see children as capable learners with important ideas of their own.
Teachers listen closely to children's questions, document their thinking and develop investigations that may unfold over days or weeks. Children are encouraged to express their ideas through many “languages”—conversation, drawing, building, movement, clay, music, storytelling, nature and play.
Our Youngest MSW Students
Mountain Explorers are an integral part of our Pre-K–6 community.
They learn alongside older students, participate in school traditions and Community Meetings, develop relationships with older buddies and benefit from belonging to a school where children of different ages genuinely know and care for one another.
Our older students benefit too—developing leadership, responsibility, patience and empathy as role models for our youngest learners.
