Structure
Our work operates from a social-emotional approach: a child cannot learn if their nervous system is dysregulated. Crucially, we recognize that the mother's (or primary caregiver's) nervous system often acts as a mirror for the child’s. Therefore, we cannot expect children to thrive unless their caregivers are also tended to and supported. This holistic awareness—that tending to the children is also tending to the mothers—is the foundational principle that makes Foraging Hands stand out from every other collective.
Every class we offer:
Free Choice: Our classroom space is set up like a studio to provide plenty of loose parts and art supplies to support the children's learning endeavors
Outdoor Play: Unstructured outdoor free play to support the overall development of the child. This ensures healthy bodies, creative minds, academic success, emotional stability, and strong social skills.
Intentional Ritual: Daily rhythm of peer communication, circles, sense of place, beauty, and guided mindfulness for enhanced social-emotional skills.
For older children (9 & up): The invitation for deep intellectual connection, exploration, and teaching opportunity.
Curriculum
At Foraging Hands, we follow the children's interests based on the seasons and the theme of that particular block.
Themes for the 2026-2027 year:
Autumn:
Seasonal Rhythms: Observing the changing seasons, deepening our relationship with the land, and exploring the local Prescott Aspens.
Mycology: Exploring fungi and learning to identify different regional species.
Cultural Traditions: Honoring and understanding Samhain.
History & Community: Exploring the history of Thanksgiving, with a focus on the importance of Indigenous acknowledgment.
Winter:
Handwork: Developing our sewing, knitting, and needle-felting skills.
Financial Literacy: Exploring the value of money, the concept of currency, and why we use it.
Civic Systems: Introducing foundational concepts of societal organization through entrepreneur explorations.
Artistic Expression: Creative exploration through painting, drawing, sculpting, and collage.
Dramatic Play: Cultivating imagination and narrative skills through role-playing, storytelling, and performance.
Spring:
Environmental Stewardship: Caring for our local ecosystems and understanding our connection to the land.
Wilderness Survival Skills: Developing basic outdoor awareness, safety, and wilderness skills.
Plant Knowledge & Wisdom: Deepening our relationship with regional plants through the creation of herbal vinegars, teas, and botanical remedies.
Watershed Studies: Implementing the Prescott Creeks and Watershed Curriculum to explore our local waterways.
Summer:
Gardening: Planting and harvesting.
Bugs and Snails: Examining the role insects and snails play in our daily lives, their ecological importance, and identifying local species.
Introduction to Basic & Herbal First Aid: Tending minor scratches and bug bites, learning to prepare poultices and herbal compresses.
Forest Fire Ecology: Defining forest fires and exploring their ecological significance.
Foraging: Identifying and gathering local edible plants.
