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At Work/At Play

Printmaking Art Class

Rock Band Class

The Physical Universe
Here children splash and explore the mud and sand by digging and channeling water.

World Drumming Class

Delight
Children often make forts at Play Mountain Place. Here, a hide-a-way is discovered.

History Class

Stories
Children gather around the teacher for a story in Little Nursery.

Water Play
The fire truck in Little Nursery is painted and washed many times.

Studying Earth Worms

Floating Boats
Here a child explores the channels and waterways he created with boats he built.

Chemical Reactions
Children mix different liquids together in experimentation.

Cats Performance
Here elementary children create a production of the musical "Cats" for an audience. It started with the interest of a few students in the musical and listening to the songs at school and developed into the idea to perform the play.

Movement Class

Woodwork Class

Cooking Class
Students learn how to make pierogi.

Building Blocks
Children in Mountain Yard are making Lego spaceships in this photo. Throughout their time at Play Mountain Place, children spend much time building with blocks, Legos, and other various materials. Their building plans can become very elaborate. Building with blocks and Lego help children with math skills, sorting skills, to think in three dimensions (a precursor to physics), hone creativity, problem-solve, and also work collaboratively.

Writing A Letter
A conversation about comma usage is started while children write a get well soon card.

A child-centered or child-directed curriculum is based on the idea that a child’s education is best served by the child’s own mastering of the process of learning. We typically see that the child becomes self-motivated to acquire skills as tools for learning and interacting with a broader world. The joy of learning is bound up in the joy of doing. Much like students at Britain’s Summerhill School, children at Play Mountain Place can choose from both student-led activities and teacher-offered curriculum without being required to participate in either. A child’s inner pace of both cognitive, social and emotional development is honored. Trust is given to his or her choices. Children are not pressured — whether it is about transitioning out of diapers, sharing a toy or learning to read. By allowing a wide range of choices and behaviors, experiential learning is fostered.