Our Curriculum

• Curiosity leads the way as children embark on extended, in-depth investigations that spark their imaginations and critical thinking. Whether we're exploring the life cycle of a butterfly observed in our garden or designing a miniature city inspired by local architecture, these projects foster collaboration, problem-solving, and a deep understanding of concepts through hands-on creation.

Sensory and science explorations in natural outdoor environments invite children into playful, adventurous discovery with loose parts, water, mud, and natural materials. It's where they build, experiment, hypothesize, and learn physics and engineering through engagement with the elements.

In Process Art, the journey of creation is honored above the final product. Children are encouraged to experiment with a rich and varied array of materials, expression itself a method of learning as viewed by the Reggio Emilia approach of the “100 Languages of Childhood.” Children are empowered to explore ideas, express emotions, and develop critical thinking through creativity.

Children become adventurous explorers as they climb, observe, build, and connect deeply with the natural world in all seasons at nearby Price Park, in our educational garden, and our outdoor classroom. These immersions foster resilience, problem-solving skills, and a profound respect for the environment, truly embodying our "Forest School" spirit.

Language and Literacy at The Mayapple School is a dynamic, joyful experience!

• Through "The Play Together Game" – a thoughtful, literacy-based dramatic play method – children immerse themselves in stories, building characters that bring narrative tales alive. Children further develop these skills with the inclusion of Storytelling/Storyacting in our curriculum (ST/SA). Stories are further shared every day through read alouds and oral story telling.

• Foundational Phonics and Phonemic Awareness: Rhyming, blending and segmenting words, letter sound and letter form association, and letter formation and building are essential keys that unlock further methods of communication. We have a wide variety of hands-on materials and lessons that build these foundations using a variety of multi-sensory modalities. Our curriculum centers on reading and writing for meaning.

• Songs, poetry, and fingerplays further spark children’s innate love of language. American Sign Language signs are introduced through song and poetry for a multi-sensory approach.

Children explore numbers, patterns, shapes, and measurement through hands-on activities like counting seeds, categorizing natural objects, or building geometric structures. Balanced mathematics combines guided discovery with real-world applications, practice to develop automaticity, and use of manipulatives that build strong foundational math skills in a tangible, meaningful way.

Central to the whole child philosophy, we cultivate essential social and emotional skills. Through collaborative projects, playful conflict resolution, and gentle guidance, children practice empathy, communication, self-regulation, and how to navigate friendships daily. Creating a safe, inclusive community where every child feels a sense of belonging is a shared task for students and teachers.