Nature Year
2016-2017
A year of learning & exploration in nature!
Join us for NatureYear!
A cabin in the woods is our group’s home base, and our explorations will take us onto the farm, through the gardens and animal yards, and into the forested trails of West Rock Ridge State Park. Activities follow the seasons and the interest of the children.
- Fall will bring harvesting and cooking from the gardens, jumping in leaf piles, fort building, nature hikes, and helping to put our farm to bed for the winter.
- Winter is wonderful for animal tracking and searching for signs of wildlife, cooking and being cozy around a campfire, snow play and snow shoeing, and nature arts in our farmhouse classroom on the coldest of days.
- Spring brings the magic of baby animals on the farm, a wetland full of frog eggs and tadpoles, seeds to be started, and forest streams to be stomped in!
Preschoolers (ages 3 – 5) :
- Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 AM – 11:30 AM.
- Sept 8, 2016 – June 8, 2017 (75 classes)
School Aged children (ages 5 – 12):
- Choose Tuesdays, Thursdays or Fridays from 9 AM – 3 PM.
- This longer day allows for further adventures into West Rock Park and for more complex projects!
- Sept 6, 2016 – June 9, 2017 (36 full days, 2 half days)
TUITION
$2,500 per year
Financial aid: A limited number of program spaces are available at up to 40% off of annual tuition for qualified families.
Click the FIND OUT MORE button below to be directed to the NatureYear webpage!
INFORMATION SESSIONS: COME VISIT!
Enrolled and potentially interested families are encouraged to come to an Information Session to see if the NatureYear Program is a good fit for your family.
Parent Information Sessions (children welcome): Meet program teachers and the program director, tour our campus, hear about program plans, and have an opportunity to ask questions.
Spring 2016 Info Session dates:
RSVP required for these sessions! See RSVP button below!
- Fri, May 6: 11 AM – 12:00 PM
- Sat, May 7: 1 PM – 2:30 PM
- Weds, May 18: 9 AM – 10:30 AM
Home base is our little cabin in the woods. A place to drop-off gear, start our day, or gather for a story or group meeting. Thefirepit just outside the cabin is a great spot for a song circle or for cooking snacks from the farm.
The Learning Garden is for tasting, smelling, planting, watering, and harvesting.
The Farm is where most of the vegetables are grown and our Farm Animals offer lots of opportunities for observation and for learning to interact gently with living things.
The Wetland is a magical spot to watch the seasons change including the cycle from eggs to tadpoles to frogs!
The Forest offers endless possibilities for play and exploration. On campus, we can build forts and have campfires at the Outdoor Classroom. On the trails in West Rock Park, we can visit Turtle Rock, wade in Wintergreen Brook, climb into Judges Cave, or take in the views from West Rock Summit.
The Farmhouse has a teaching kitchen where we can make delicious food from the farm, and a classroom we can use for activities if we need a break from challenging weather.
We hope you'll join us for a year of adventure & learning!
Common Ground High School, Urban Farm, and Environmental Education Center
Email: jdelia@nhep.com
Website: www.commongroundct.org
Location: 358 Springside Avenue, New Haven, CT, United States
Phone: (203)389-4333
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CommonGroundConnecticut/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel
Twitter: @CommonGroundCT