EVERGREEN ACADEMY
A NATURE BASED MICROSCHOOL
Programs and Curriculum
At Evergreen Academy, we believe that education should ignite curiosity, foster creativity, and cultivate a deep connection to the natural world. Our programs are thoughtfully designed to combine student centered academics with experiential, nature-based learning, ensuring every student develops the skills and confidence to thrive in both their personal and academic lives. We currently offer two options: four days a week for full time learners and two days a week (M/W or Tu/Th) for homeschool hybrid learners.
Nature-Based Learning
Our location on an urban flower farm allows our students access to green and garden spaces that allows for rich place based learning. Nature based learning in our setting is a mix of child led learning and interests as well as adult led lessons. Our aim with nature based learning is to value our student's natural interests and curiosity while deepening their connections through adult guidance and to make core academic connections.
Examples of nature based learning in our setting are:
ā
-
Exploring nature through play and pursuing interests during unstructured play outside
-
Hands on gardening lessons and activities such as seed starting and making pine cone bird feeders
-
Using nature in art and science such as dissecting owl pellets, leaf rubbing, and making flower potions
-
Participating in activities through nature journaling and nature curriculum.
ā
Academic Excellence
Our curriculums meets or exceeds state academic standards while allowing for flexibility and creativity in how subjects are taught. Our full time students get all core subjects for elementary aged children and our focus is on literacy, math, and handwriting.
-
Literacy and Language Arts: Emphasizing reading comprehension, writing, and communication through storytelling, research projects, and discussions.
-
Mathematics: Engaging lessons that connect math concepts to real-world applications.
-
Science: Hands-on experiments and field studies that encourage exploration and inquiry.
-
Social Studies: Exploring history, geography, and culture with a focus on understanding communities and sustainability.
-
Handwriting; As a low tech school, we prioritize foundational skills such as drawing and writing. We utilize the only evidence based handwriting curriculum on the market and have seen great results using this with our students.
We maintain small class sizes to ensure personalized attention, allowing teachers to adapt lessons to meet each child’s unique needs and learning style.
Enrichment Programs
Beyond core academics, we offer programs that enrich the whole child and support their social-emotional and creative development:
-
Art and Music
-
Library trips: Our close proximity to the library allows us to safely walk to the library and enjoy the wonderful programming offered there.
-
STEM: Our students participate in fun, hands on STEM activities such as: making oobleck, investigating nature outside with magnifying glasses, and exploring ice and snow.
-
Cooking: We use indoor and outdoor environments to engage our students in cooking. Cooking has been especially popular with our students and works on many skills. Examples of cooking lessons our students have engaged in: banana boats over a campfire, honey cake using fresh honey, and making color changing lemonade
Project Based Learning
We believe that hands on learning guided by the student's inherent interests is the most meaningful way that children learn. Our nature based setting provides a rich environment for project based learning opportunities by providing freedom to engage in intentionally placed loose parts and materials. We provide ample time for project based learning in our indoor and outdoor environments. Our facilitators are skilled at documenting and connecting core academic connections to student led projects.
ā
Social Justice and Community Connections
We believe that strong communities are built through meaningful relationships. Our students engage in a yearly project that gives back to our community and nurtures social justice principles. Examples of social justice projects our students have engaged in are:
ā
-
Accepted donations and made blessing bags for local food pantry box
-
Read a variety of books on food insecurity and homelessness and engaged in dialogue on actionable ways to make a difference in our community
-
Assembled snack bags for the Conway Ministry Center
These projects provide invaluable opportunities for students to see how their learning applies in the real world and inspire them to become active, engaged members of their community.
Field Trips
We value field trips and opportunities within our community at our micro school. We believe learning comes alive when our learners experience the world outside of our campus. These trips provide hands on opportunities to connect with the real world, spark curiosity, and deepen understanding of concepts learned at school. These trips also help with team work, cultivate creativity, critical thinking, and a sense of adventure.
Some examples of field trips we have gone on are:
ā
-
Museum of Discovery in Little Rock
-
Solar eclipse art exhibit at Wingate Museum of Art at Hendrix
-
Camp Mitchell forest school on Petit Jean Mountain
-
Children's play at Red Curtain Theatre