We welcome you to discover a unique learning opportunity for children located in Carleton County, New Brunswick, Canada!
Curriculum
– The Head
– The Heart
– The Hands
Programs
– Forest Kindergarten
– Enki Elementary
– Nuthatch Nursery
Enrolment
– Take a tour
– Apply
– Interview with the educator
– Acceptance!
The following make up our 2022-2023 School Year Offerings:
Forest Kindergarten (ages 4-6)
Our early childhood program is about play; about being comfortable outdoors and being part of a living community of other children, adults and the natural world. Drawing inspiration from Enki, Waldorf and Nature Schools, the Knowlesville Forest Kindergarten engages the whole child – head, heart and hands. We set up our play and learning spaces outdoors as much as possible during the fall and the spring under the canopy of the forest by the larger school building. Through the woods, past the frog pond and out through the cedar grove, our meadow garden has veggies for harvesting and a wide-open field for movement games. This is the realm of the young child. A place where the natural world is home-base and we make and grow things with our hands.
Our lead teacher is Sierra Mangum, with pedagogical support & mentorship from Tegan Wong-Daugherty. Sierra has been the co-teacher with Sparrow for three years on our Wild Child Thursdays. She has 3 children of her own and is a gentle, grounded educator and in 2021 Sierra started her Enki Foundation courses for teaching.
Details
We offer a 3-day nature immersion kindergarten program, Mondays to Thursdays from 9 – 3 pm from September to early June. Enrolment is now open for next fall and and space is limited. The fall session is full of outdoor exploration, harvest fun in the garden, apple picking & cider making, baking and art as always.
The cost is $2880 for the 2022-2023 school year (plus a one-time $100 materials fee due upon registration).
* A 20% sibling discount will be applied automatically for any additional children from the same family
Junior Elementary : (ages 7 to 9)
2022-2023 Enki Art & Nature Grade 2-3 Class
Aptly named the Wild Turkey class, our second grader is full of curiosity and trickster energy and we meet it head-on with our central theme for this age – the play of relationships. Through stories (both trickster tales and sage stories) the child sees how their own curious, mischievous and stubborn nature can become a source of courage and strength to meet the world with compassion.
In math, we expand on place value and work with all four functions through story, movement, experiences and practice. In science, we touch upon the phenomenon of extremes like hurricanes and tornadoes as well as the aurora borealis and the incredible resiliency of fire-resistant seeds sprouting from the ashes of a forest fire. These are part of mirroring the children where they are at and nurturing their sense of wonder and reverence for the world around them.
The lead teacher for this class, Leah (Sparrow) Houghton, comes with an extensive Wilderness Education background (including 3 years at the Alderleaf Wilderness College & 3 years as Lead Early Childhood & Grades Teacher at our centre) She has a deep love and respect for children. She is also taking the foundation courses for the Enki Education Teacher Training.
Details
This is a 4-day Enki Grades program, Mondays to Thursdays from 9 – 3 pm from September to early June. Enrolment is now open. The cost is $3600 for the 2022-2023 school year (plus a one-time $100 materials fee due upon registration). A monthly payment plan and a term payment plan are outlined on the registration form.
* A 20% sibling discount will be applied automatically for any additional children from the same family
In this program we will be seeking out a number of regular specialty teachers to offer handwork, French and woodworking classes throughout the year. We look first to parents within the school community who would like to offer a specialty subject in exchange for tuition credits. Please email Tegan if this is of interest.
Senior Elementary : (ages 9 to 12)
2022-2023 Enki Art & Nature Grade 4-6 Class
We are offering an Enki grade 4-6 class. The theme for this group will mirror the child’s increasing awareness of being a separate and unique individual. We will dive into mythologies from Yoruba and Norse, as well as formally start the study of cultural geography of the local area. Math jumps into fractions, with the question of what part of a whole am I – in my family, in my class, in my community. Long division and multiplication skills are practiced and the science curriculum will centre around the study of animals. Also we will have daily time in nature and connected cultural experiences such as folk dances, cooking and craft.
Our lead teacher for this class is Agnes Took, with pedagogical support & mentorship from Tegan Wong-Daugherty. Agnes has been part of an Enki pioneer group of educators for grades 1-3 and has completed both foundation courses for the Enki Education Teacher Training.
Details
This is a 4-day Enki Grades program, Mondays to Thursdays from 9 – 3 pm from September to early June. Enrolment is now open.
The cost is $3600 for the 2022-2023 school (plus a one-time $100 materials fee due upon registration). A monthly payment plan and a term payment plan are outlined on the registration form.
The Nuthatch Nursery : (ages 2 – 3)
We are adding a small nature-based nursery for the very young. Recognizing that families are looking for nature immersion experiences that nurture and support the littlest ones in the area we have a very small number of spots for children ages 2 &3.
Spirit is our lead teacher for the nursery. She has run a small home daycare for little ones for that last year and is an incredibly caring individual.
This is a 3-day childcare program, Mondays to Wednesdays from 9 – 3 pm from September to early June. Enrolment is now open.
The cost is $2880 for the 2022-2023 school.
Application and Enrolment Process
We welcome inquiries from parents and families wishing to learn more about the Knowlesville Art & Nature School offerings. The following application and enrolment process is designed to help families understand what the school brings to their children, and how they can support their children’s education at the Art & Nature School.
Step 1
Arrange a Tour or attend an Open House: Tours can be booked by contacting the School Director. Open Houses are scheduled periodically throughout the year.
Step 2
Complete an Application. Applications can be found above under School Year Offerings > your selected program> registration.
Physical copies can be made available at the KAN Centre.
Step 3
Interview with the Class Teacher and/or School Director: The parents and student(s) will attend an interview with the class teacher.
Step 4
After the interview, students applying to the grades program ideally will be able to visit the class for 1-3 days. They will have the opportunity to experience the school day with their peers and the teacher will have the opportunity to see the child at work in the class. Alternatively, if applying when the school is not in session, we recommend that your child(ren) enroll in our summer nature camps to start making connections with the land and community that support the school.
Step 5
Acceptance: Once the student has been accepted by the teacher, an acceptance letter will be sent and the family will have 2 weeks to book an enrolment meeting.
Step 6
Complete Enrolment Contract and Payment Schedule with our office administrator.
Please contact us more information about any of our programs or to arrange a visit, by e-mailing info@knowlesvillenature.ca or call the school at 506-375-6400.
School-Wide Curriculum Goals
At the Art & Nature School we offer opportunities for children to explore and learn in ways that engage their whole being and cultivates independent thinking and creative problem-solving. We use a combination of Waldorf and Enki Inspired Curriculum that nurtures the head, heart and hands of the children.
The Head
Thinking and Knowledge
The Art & Nature School’s emphasis is not on what to think but on how to think. It embraces complexity through simple acts. To be truly prepared for the future, it will not only be necessary to discover unknown answers to a given problem, it will be necessary to define the problem, ask the right questions, and envision many different solutions.
The Heart
Feelings and Motivation
We feel that all people have vitality, wisdom and compassion at their core. We strive for a learning community that engages the hearts of the children to help uncover their own inherent capacity to care about themselves and their fellow human beings; to discover the wonder and inter-relationships in this world, and to experience many ways to engage and create. Artistic activities (painting, drawing, drama, music, and handicrafts) are part of the school experience each day. They foster a heartfelt connection between the student and the subject and make education more meaningful and memorable.
The Hands
Purposeful Activity
The goal of education is to instill confidence and fosters self-esteem in order to find a meaningful path in a complex and confusing world where self-determination and strong character are needed. Handwork includes knitting, woodworking, sewing, gardening, cooking and general care of their school environment. All of these meaningful tasks help to create responsible free individuals who can ultimately contribute to the vitality of their families and communities.
Spirituality
Our school families come from various religious and cultural backgrounds. The curriculum is not based on a particular religious doctrine. Rather, it is based on the belief that there is a spiritual dimension to each human being that also requires nurturing.
Affordability
The Knowlesville Art & Nature School is run primarily on the volunteer spirit of our team. Our lead teachers are qualified teachers who are offering their teaching abilities at below market salaries because they are passionate about making a rural school in a natural setting a reality. Our specialty teachers come from the school parents and the local community and include artists, yoga instructors, carpenters and language & culture specialists who very generously give their time and add richness to the classroom on a regular basis. All this has made it possible to work with families to make tuition affordable for families of diverse economic realities.
KAN School Vision:
The KAN provides a holistic nature-connected environment for ourselves and our children. We started in 2008 with a Forest Kindergarten, which has evolved to including a homeschool collective for children up to grade 8. Inspired by Waldorf & ENKI pedagogies, we strive to nurture through heart connection the inherent vitality and wisdom of our shared human journey.
ENKI is an art-enriched global cultures program. The foundation of ENKI is the nurturing of the inherent vitality, wisdom and compassion which exists in every child. All programming offered through the Knowlesville Art and Nature School uses this foundation as a starting point and guiding principle. We are excited to be pioneering this rich educational pedagogy in New Brunswick, Canada.