The Folksy House will become a cozy and nurturing home away from home for our youngest friends. Our Folksy Buds will experience a loving community and develop sweet friendships all while learning and practicing important childhood skills such as baking, painting, storytelling, child-led outdoor nature play, and the “life arts.” They will find comfort in the gentle rhythm of our days, feeling secure in the familiar flow and gentle structure of each morning. Our daily rhythm is guided by our loving and gentle teachers who are experienced and/or certified with the LifeWays Early Education model of care.

Our Folksy Acorns, a program for 4-year-olds, thrive in a gentle ‘kindergarten rising’ rhythm that embraces the magic of this age. We meet each child where they are, allowing their natural curiosity to guide them. Influenced by Waldorf philosophies, we bring storytelling, music, and the wonder of childhood to life, while Montessori methods support child-led shelf work that enhances both early academics and life skills. Guided by our love and passion for outdoor education, we immerse children in nature and child-led play, fostering independence and creativity in all weather, every day at Folksy.

Our experienced teachers deeply understand child development and connect with each child’s unique temperament. We nurture their growth through art, baking, storytelling, handwork, and movement, ensuring every child is seen, heard, and supported in a way that honors their individuality and fosters a lifelong love of learning and community.

Our Folksy Toadstools thrive in a gentle kindergarten rhythm, where we embrace the magic of this age, meeting each child where they are and allowing their natural curiosity to lead the way. Influenced by Waldorf philosophies, we bring the storytelling, music, and wonder of childhood to life, understanding each child as a whole. Montessori methods guide our child-led shelf work, enhancing both early academics and life skills. Guided by our love and passion for outdoor education, we immerse children in nature and child-led play, fostering independence and creativity in all weather, every day at Folksy.

During a child’s Toadstool year is when Handwork is introduced for the first time in an official class setting. This is a significant milestone at The Folksy House, as handwork is essential for early childhood development. Handwork fosters fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and patience. Activities like knitting and sewing are carefully selected to match the children’s developmental stage, allowing our Toadstools to experience the rhythm of repetition and the joy of creating with their own hands. These tasks also help build focus, perseverance, and cognitive balance, laying the groundwork for future skills such as writing and problem-solving.

Our teachers, who deeply understand child development, connect with each child’s unique temperament, nurturing their growth through art, baking, storytelling, handwork, movement, and more. We ensure every child is seen, heard, and supported in a way that honors their individuality and fosters a lifelong love of learning and community.

Our 2-day Folksy in the Forest program welcomes children ages 4 through 6 to explore and learn in our unique outdoor classroom throughout all seasons. There’s a special magic in experiencing the changes of the year together, as children immerse themselves in nature and all it has to offer. We blend movement games, storytelling, and exploration of our forest school site to enhance your child’s academic growth. Learning happens both organically through observation of the natural world and through guided lessons from our experienced forest school teachers.

At Folksy in the Forest, children develop essential life skills such as fire safety, knot tying, and plant identification, fostering both independence and a deep connection with the environment. They’ll also have the opportunity to be stewards of our earth by caretaking our environment, helping to plant and maintain a garden, and engaging in building projects that enhance the quality of the flora and fauna at our site.

Designed with children aged 3 through 5 in mind, each session of Small World Workshop is infused with enchanting storytelling, songs, and a focus on meeting each child where they are. Children dive into imaginative setups that transport them to whimsical worlds, blending creativity with learning in a joyful, playful way. They’ll also get hands-on with activities like potion making and sensory play, guided by their teacher and their own imagination. In our Waldorf-inspired environment, small world play allows your child to create stories, characters, and settings, drawing from real-life experiences or dreaming up new adventures. This approach supports language development through vocabulary building and expressive language, encourages problem-solving in creative scenarios, and fosters a rich sense of imagination. They’ll learn about cause and effect through experimentation, develop STEAM skills as they build and create, and enjoy cooperative play with their peers. It’s all about discovering, learning, and growing in a way that feels natural, engaging, and deeply connected to the magical world around them.