Featuring the joy and discovery of the outdoors
Preschool is an incredible time for young ones to explore, and the staff at St. Charles Park District’s Hickory Knolls Discovery Center are excited to offer a new preschool program that invites children discover the joy of learning through a nature-based approach in an outdoor setting.
Acorns to Oaks, the newest addition to the park district’s preschool programs, is designed for ages 3 to 5 to spend more than 75 percent of their day investigating the outdoors and discovering natural ways to learn science, math, literacy and gross motor skills, explained Nature Programs Supervisor Emily Shanahan.
Located adjacent to beautiful hiking trails, prairie, woodlands and wetlands, the Hickory Knolls Discovery Center is an ideal setting for the new preschool program.
“Participants will spend their time immersed in nature, building physical and social-emotional skills amongst the flora and fauna of nature,” said Shanahan.
The park district has had great success with a traditional education model preparing children for kindergarten readiness. Teachers assist in nurturing each child’s social, emotional, physical and cognitive development through age-based activities and imaginative, free play. Children socialize with peers, learn respect and cooperation, acquire independence, build self-esteem and develop problem-solving skills. Held both centrally at Pottawatomie Community Center and on the west side of town at the Discovery Center, this program annually serves hundreds of children, ages 2 to 5.
Following the popularity of the Hickory Knolls’ Nature Playschool, a weekly class of hands-on education with inquiry-based learning, it was only natural that programming evolved into more preschool opportunities to meet the needs of the community.
The Acorns to Oaks preschool program lessons will incorporate the fundamentals of early childhood education with nature-based themes. Additionally, instructors will use the concept of an emerging curriculum, where they build learning around interests that surface each day.
“We’ll take daily hikes on the trails, searching for animals and their tracks, listening to birds, discovering insects under logs, measure tree trunks and so much more,” Shanahan said.
A planned capital improvement project at Hickory Knolls provided an opportunity to renovate a portion of rental space into expanded early childhood programming.
Cultivating a relationship with nature at an early age is key to becoming a lifelong steward of the environment, explained Shanahan.
“The joy in watching kids express compassion toward plants, animals and the natural world is amazing,” she said.
The first year of classes will be offered in Fall 2024 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays with morning and afternoon sessions available. Registration begins in February.
Families will have their first opportunity to see the new classroom and learn about all of park district preschool programming during a Preschool Open House from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 3.
An open house to celebrate and showcase all the new facility changes will be held on Saturday, February 24 from 10am to 12pm.
To learn more about St. Charles Park District’s preschool, visit stcparks.org/stcpreschool.