Philosophy

Purpose

Humans of all ages seek a sense of purpose in their lives. In play, children both create and fulfill that need. Children are also given the opportunity to participate in tasks with a concrete measure of purpose. Caring for the indoor and outdoor environment, planting/harvesting vegetables, coordinating art shows to raise funds for the school, preparing meals, raking leaves, sweeping/mopping, and wiping tables all contribute towards a child’s sense of purpose and help them develop a strong connection to their space.

Sense of Self

By the age of five, children have already developed a strong self-concept. We recognize the extreme importance in forming warm, loving connections at this age and thus create environments to foster those relationships. When children are loved unconditionally, they are then able to direct that unconditional love towards themselves. When adults treat children as highly competent humans capable of assessing risk, resolving conflict, and making decisions, children internalize that belief and build a strong sense of self.

Child-Directed Learning

Self-directed children feel a sense of ownership over their lives and learning. They are aware of their interests and the steps necessary to reach their goals. Staff at Juniper Root take time to step back and observe each child’s specific interests in order to expose them to environments with appropriate challenges, tools, materials, and areas for exploration. There are numerous benefits from allowing children to pursue academic interests on their own timetable. Children develop a sense of mass, volume, and quantity by shoveling dirt and rocks. They read numbers on a rain gauge and letters on a map. When a child expresses interest in a certain academic area, we help guide them towards materials to support that interest and refrain from imposing any sort of adult or societal agenda on their work. We believe that the best way to create lifelong lovers of learning is to simply allow childeren the time and space to explore their passions in a safe and supportive environment.

From age 6-12, we help children cultivate a healthy relationship with technology. Utilizing carefully curating tablets and computers, we introduce children to these devices as tools to take their learning in any direction they choose.

Conflict Resolution

Conflict is a natural part of every human relationship. When conflicts arise between children, staff at Juniper Root support their resolution process without stepping in to solve the problem for them. Adults are nearby throughout the conflict in order to keep everybody safe and to help verbalize the process. We acknowledge and embrace the fact that conflict resolution is often a messy process and there is no right or wrong solution to any altercation. Each time children are allowed to settle disputes in their own way, they become a little more adept and confident with this skill.

Multi-Age Grouping

Children of all ages at Juniper Root all work together in a collaborative environment. Mixed-age grouping benefits both the younger and the older children. Older children develop a sense of leadership and solidify knowledge by teaching younger children. Younger children learn new skills by observing children whose abilities extend just beyond their own. The age range also minimizes transitions by allowing children to stay with the same group for an extended period of time. Children are able to build strong relationships as well as a solid foundation for the rest of their lives.

Our Approach in a Nutshell

More and more parents and caregivers are realizing just how much young children learn if they are free to play as much as they please in an appropriately stimulating environment with the support of loving caretakers.

At Juniper Root, we are aware that pushing adult-directed activities and academics can have the opposite of the intended effect: https://petergray.substack.com/p/40-long-term-harm-of-early-academic

However, we have observed that when children are free to explore in our space, many are drawn to academics at an early age. These children develop the necessary foundation for structured activities and academics, and then choose to explore them on their own timetable.

We support these budding interests in a variety of ways based on the unique learning styles of our current population. When children feel called, they are welcome to engage with step-by-step practical life activities like juicing oranges or arranging flowers. They can explore Montessori materials like sandpaper letters, nomenclature books, the multiplication board and the moveable alphabet. We have found that when children are ready, they are drawn to these materials and ask adults or older peers for support as needed. Children come to these sorts of activities at all different ages and seasons of their life.

We have also found that Montessori materials don’t resonate with everyone. Some children joyfully develop their sense of order, concentration, coordination, and independence by building restaurants on the playground, planning out the menu, creating mud pies, and serving guests. We have watched children advance their mathematical mind and fine motor skills by constructing complex Lego creations with immaculate symmetry or original artworks with impeccable patterns made from Perler beads. Some children turn up their noses at the movable alphabet and instead teach themselves to read by listening to the same Vox Book ( https://voxshop.libraryideas.com ) over and over, following along with the text as they go.

We recognize, respect, and support children's internal drive to direct themselves towards activities that will aid their development in the manner most suited to their unique learning style. By honoring their process, children learn to trust their instincts and follow their unique path.

Our culture is more and more accepting of a child-directed approach to learning for preschool-aged children. Which is why at Juniper Root, we offer the option for children to attend for the pre-school ages of roughly 3-6 years old. There are no hard cut-offs; children are free to transfer to different learning environments whenever it best suits their needs and the needs of their family.

As children reach school age, we continue to support their development of self-direction at Juniper Root. In her book “Changing Our Minds,” Naomi Fisher articulates a concept that is at the core of our approach:

“Whether or not you think that individual differences in learning is a problem depends on how you see education. Should it be a standardized process of all children learning the same things, or should it be about the child learning how to manage their own learning, with this process being more important than any specific content?”

At Juniper Root, we believe that the skill of managing one’s own learning is the foundation for everything else. It is what guides children towards the content, materials, and support that will best meet their needs at every stage of life. This is a very complex and nuanced skill that requires time, space, and trust to develop.

Children begin forming the foundation for this learning from the moment they begin at Juniper Root, whatever age that may be. The more time they spend here, the more they develop mastery in self-direction, setting them up for success and fulfillment for their days at Juniper Root and beyond. As I discussed over here: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/16JnWhNUHb/ , children’s learning naturally evolves from discovery learning to self-directed mastery learning when we provide time, space, and support for this process to unfold. Children arrive at this stage at all different ages for all different subject areas.

As they get older, education continues to be a conversation between children, adults, and the environment. Learning is always relevant to their current experience because they are the ones driving the process. We arrange the environment based on the skills that our population seeks to acquire for their self-chosen pursuits as they grow and develop. An adult facilitator meets with our older group regularly to discuss areas they’d like to explore and create projects based on those interests: from planning a play to sewing to constructing and exploding a volcano to researching the solar system to building kinetic cardboard sculptures. Children are the driving force behind all of these efforts so they understand the work that is involved to carry out the whole process.

We bring in experts from different fields to share their skills and knowledge with the group. Children then have a chance to connect with folks who are making a living by following their passion.

We collectively follow meaningful pursuits like putting on art show fundraisers and hosting booths at farmers ’ markets. These events allow children to participate in the process of sharing their work with the larger community. These activities are fueled by intrinsic purpose and link children to all of the skills they’ll need to live a fulfilling life in our culture.

Most importantly, we continue to regularly hold long blocks of unstructured time in both indoor and outdoor environments so that children can continue to get to know themselves in a community context and develop structures that support their unique learning path every step of the way.

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