by Karen Luks

“Joy in looking and comprehending is nature’s most beautiful gift,” said Albert Einstein, and no where is this more true than in the Brooklyn Friends Preschool. Fostering the innate sense of wonder is what the early years are all about. Beginning in the Family Center and culminating in the Fours program, children learn through active participation and hands-on learning, much of which is nature-based.

The Green and Orange room teachers have developed a curriculum “designed with the urban child in mind,” says Fours teacher Maura Eden. Over the years teachers have used the greenmarket, city parks, and gardens as resources for projects that are developed and carried out in their classrooms. Class trips—in the fall to Prospect Park and in the spring to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden—give children opportunities to observe nature firsthand.

Recently I had the opportunity to be in the Green and Orange Rooms to talk about my visit to Jericho, Vermont, and the home of a farmer and inventor known as “Snowflake Bentley.” The Fours have been studying snow and Wilson A. Bentley (1865-1931) for several years and have, through their research, gathered much information about him. Bentley, also known as “the snowflake man,” was fascinated with snow from childhood, calling it “a miracle of beauty.” A man of extraordinary passion, he went on to develop a special photomicroscope to study the thousands of snowflakes he photographed and subsequently learned that no two snowflakes were the same. What a concept for young children to discover!

The children’s “how and why” questions, and discussions of “infinity” provided a perfect basis for getting information and gaining knowledge about “learning to learn.” It was, however, a rather strange but welcome phenomenon that right after this lesson in the Green Room we had the biggest snowfall in years, giving us the opportunity to study the qualities of snow firsthand!

Along with their study of snowflakes and the different seasons, the Fours became knowledgeable about the sun, moons, clouds, rainbows, and constellations through their “Day and Night” curriculum. An in-depth study of owls followed. This culminated with a classroom visit from a barn owl and a kestrel and their caretaker, along with an Owl Museum the children created for their peers and adults to visit.

In the spring the children will visit the park again and study pond life. We will be bringing caterpillars into each preschool class after the break, and children will observe their metamorphosis into chrysalides as they eventually become butterflies that will be released from the roof.

Karen Luks is Head of the Preschool.