Outdoor Education
At Hilltop, we view our playground and outdoor environment as an extension of our classrooms. We value our outdoor learning time and are committed to enjoying time outside all year long!
Our playground and outdoor environment provide opportunities for teacher-led exploration and discovery:
- Guided nature walks
- Community scavenger hunts
- Visiting a pond to observe animal habitats
- Observing insect life cycles
- Planting and caring for our school garden
- Storytime under the trees
- Maintaining our school compost bin
Being outside also gives children an environment to embrace their creativity and sense of adventure! Our friends use a combination of natural materials and developmentally appropriate toys to create, explore, and learn through their play.
On a typical day, we might see our friends:
- Building ramps for cars using tree bark
- Writing letters, numbers, and names with chalk
- Constructing a sand castle community in the sandbox
- Managing an ice cream shop, collecting payments from customers in exchange for fun flavors
- Designing an obstacle course through a lava-covered jungle
Perhaps most importantly, our time outside presents ample opportunities for Hilltop friends to develop some of the social-emotional skills that we emphasize as children practice:
- Approaching and entering groups of friends
- Negotiating and sharing materials and toys
- Asking for help
- Following the rules of existing games
- Apologizing and making amends
Throughout our school year, Hilltop invites families to send in rain jackets, rain boots, mittens, hats, or snow gear when appropriate. Families also have the option to “opt-in” to Hilltop’s Sunscreen and Insect Repellent program, allowing teachers to apply Hilltop-provided sunscreen and insect repellent. Friends are invited to bring a water bottle to school each day to stay hydrated. We love our time outside and strive to partner with families to ensure that outdoor time is enjoyable and safe for everyone!
“When looking for a preschool for my daughter, it was very important that I find a center that placed value on structured and unstructured outside play. Playing outdoors for extended periods of time throughout the day and in all sorts of weather offers a multitude of benefits that directly supports functional development at all ages, and particularly development of foundational skills in the pre-school child. I love that Hilltop recognizes this important piece of early learning and I am so happy the wonderful staff offers multiple opportunities each day for outdoor play!”
– Jolene W.
