Kinderplatz of Fine Arts
Our Jack Savell Memorial Nature Reserve is a safe haven for wildlife and an oasis where children can
explore and experience nature in the most magical and tactile ways. We have released lady bugs, turned over logs in search of pill bugs, seen rabbits hopping through the reserve, observed a mallard pair guarding their nest, monitored turtle eggs after watching a female lay, and fed a Phoebe out of our palms.
Every visit to the JSMNR is a new adventure! The Kinderplatz Explorers, an 18-24 month-year-old program, are garden experts. These children have been exposed to the nurturing of nature and plants. Many times a week, the Explorers will visit the school’s secret garden. Here in the garden, we have many plants, vegetables and bugs the children nurture and study. Recently the Explorers have gotten new watering cans, where each child can come to the hose and fill cans and water the plants. This activity is a great exposure to empathy, nature, fine motor skills and responsibility.
Children are extremely capable of life skill activities and the earlier they practice the more confident they will be as they grow. The Kinderplatz Toddlers have examined bugs and learned what environments they thrived in. The class searched for seeds like purple hyacinth to count, remove from pods and replant in flower gardens. Many 2-year-old children have enjoyed butterflies, caterpillars and the experience of watching as they were in their chrysalises. The children fed them bits of fruit for a few days and then released them into our gardens on a beautiful day.
The outdoor art area includes natural materials, ribbon weaving and building of natural habitats. The
school hosts a yearly art craze where the children and staff enjoy splatter painting, stick painting, drawing and easel painting. Children love exploring the messy materials. This area is where they construct imaginative creations like houses, forts, machines, and even form letters using various materials. This open-ended play not only fuels their creativity but also supports their overall development. The outside water play area is designed with wooden containers filled with a variety of tools for children to experience pouring, measuring and experiencing with water and color experiments.
The Block Building area is filled with a variety of wooden blocks for the children to be imaginative and
constructive. They make ice cream shops, rockets, boats, people, caves and animal homes.
Kinderplatz Music Stage is a daily area full of children performing songs, solos, stories and dancing. The students enjoy playing instruments such as the pot lids, marimba, metallophone, metal pipes and rhythm sticks.
Our outdoor area is a magical place where children’s imaginations unfold. The families, staff, alumni,
board of directors and of course Kinderplatz students are all part of the experiences that our school
offers. We have future plans of creating an additional sensory garden for our youngest students. We
recently had a Parent Workday and our landscape crew and parents expressed that KFA is a special place.
Learn more about this classroom on their certification page!
