Forest Kindergarten

Sweet Fern Forest Kindergarten is The Community School’s mixed age Kindergarten program that serves children ages 4-6 in a nature-based, integrated and multi-age Forest School model. Depending on age and development, students may spend one or more years in the Sweet Ferns' before entering the grades.  Children must be at least 4 years of age by September 1, 2026 to apply to the Forest Kindergarten for the 2026-2027 school year.

Sweet Fern Forest Kindergarten is located on the banks of Babson Creek and in the nearby woodland forests, marsh and fields. We have a yurt classroom as an indoor space for rest time, gear storage, and indoor lessons.

What is Forest Kindergarten?

Forest Kindergarten is a widely practiced model in Europe, originating in Scandinavia, where the majority of the learning takes place outdoors in all seasons and in all weather conditions. Children learn in a natural environment with experienced adults who support their self-initiated play, discovery, and inquiry. The first Forest Kindergarten in the U.S. began in 2008, and many more have emerged nationwide over the past decade.

While the Forest School model is inherently Place-based and shares many parallels with the TCS model for the grades, we believe that the practices of Forest Kindergarten best meet young students in establishing a strong social-emotional foundation and physical development in gross and fine motor skills.  The curriculum presents opportunities for inquiry, wonder, problem solving, and inspires a genuine love for learning that will last long past student’s days as a Sweet Fern.  With this foundation, the academics follow.  As traditional Kindergartens become more standards-based and rigorous, the Forest Kindergarten model allows for developmentally appropriate play and exploration that is wonder-filled and inquiry-based, all while developing a strong sense of self, place and community.

“Our son has learned so much from his every day experience at the school, especially owing to the guidance of skilled and caring teachers who are always attentive to each student. They are devoted to helping each child learn and grow both personally and as a member of a better, kinder world. ”
— Maya Bracken, TCS Parent