Forest Kindergarten Curriculum

We get a lot of questions about our forest kindergarten curriculum. To answer most succinctly, we follow the intellectual, emotional, and physical needs of the children! Read more about our emergent curriculum approach here.

In the five years since we first opened we have also come to recognize that some of our core teaching resources comprise a customized curriculum.

First Conversations books

These books have become a cornerstone of our approach to discussing big ideas that help build a more inclusive world.

The First Conversations books about race, gender, and consent are in frequent rotation at AFK. We eagerly await the publication of the next two books in the series coming in 2023!

Teachers participate in an in-depth program of personal and professional reflection through the Circle of Security Classroom approach.

Circle of Security Classroom (COSC)

Just as young children form attachments with their parents, they also form attachments with teachers. When children have secure attachments with their earliest teachers, they are more likely to thrive in subsequent school settings — emotionally, socially, and academically. This in-depth program of personal and professional reflection gives teachers tools to interpret typical childhood behaviors through an attachment lens.

A sample of some of the Pattern ABC cards which can be used to invite playful exploration of nature’s shapes and patterns. na2ure - pABC cards

Pattern ABC curriculum (pABC)

Our Educators have trained with the originator of the pABC system, Alex Wolf. Pattern recognition in nature is an aspect of preliteracy, prenumeracy, and spatial development. With the tools and strategies from our 2021 pABC professional development workshop, AFK Educators help children build on their natural interests in pattern and shape recognition with a sequential approach to gradually exploring deeper complexity in natural and artistic designs.