News

After two long years of renovations and a pandemic, it was with great fanfare that the Middle School took the inaugural trip up to the new and improved facility at the beginning of March! The weather was perfect, and the students reveled in the opportunity to rediscover both the indoor and outdoor spaces. For our 8th graders, it was bittersweet because it would be their first trip Middle School Landschool trip and their last.

We often get asked why do we have a landschool or what’s so special about it? As usual, the answers lie in our Montessori roots and Dr. Montessori’s words. 

“There is no description, no image in any book that is capable of replacing the sight of real trees, and all the life to be found around them, in a real forest. Something emanates from those trees which speaks to the soul, something no book, no museum is capable of giving.”

“There must be provision for the child to have contact with nature, to understand and appreciate the order, the harmony and the beauty in nature… so that the child may better understand and participate in the marvelous things which civilization creates.”

However, my favorite quote by far is: “Let the children be free; … let them run outside when it is raining; let them remove their shoes when they find a puddle of water; and, when the grass of the meadows is damp with dew, let them run on it and trample it with their bare feet; … let them shout and laugh when the sun wakes them in the morning as it wakes every living creature that divides its day between waking and sleeping.”

The Landschool is an unrivaled gift. It allows children time away, to disconnect (literally and figuratively!) from the everyday and reconnect with nature and each other. Students are given free time to play in the creek, build teepees in the woods, get tired and dirty, and enjoy a sense of independence which we encourage in our children but often don’t give them the time or space to find!

Lessons on ecology, fire building, the work of water, and plant identification are combined with opportunities to hone cooking skills, team building, and responsibility. For some children, it is their first time away from their families. They find a strength they didn’t know they had as they return and realize they got through it independent of mom and dad! 

Upper Elementary students look forward to day trips at the end of this month, and next year, we hope to welcome all levels back to the Landshool! In the meantime, we hope your family will take the opportunity to attend the Annual Meeting & Picnic at the Landschool on April 23rd. Please see the additional info and link to RSVP below and come see what all the buzz is about! Bring a picnic to enjoy outside, hike to the pond, check out the trails, and see the wonderful renovations. We hope to see you up there!