Children are hard-wired for play. And approaches to early childhood education that create nurturing spaces for learning through play are taking new shapes in the spectrum of options increasingly available for pre-school and elementary education. In this conversation with Kristen Drake, lead-teacher and director of Fern Hollow Forest School, we explore the ways that traditional education models, especially for young kids, can be reimagined and reclaimed from what most people today think of as structured learning for kids ages 3-6. We also follow the thread of the natural curiosity we see in children, when encouraged and given a safe space to flourish, to the adult humans they grow into-and how we too need rich environments that awaken our senses and imaginations, as well as our drive to innovate and craft-ethically-from the forest, when we find ourselves there.

More on Fern Hollow Forest School: https://fernhollowforestschool.com/

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