Environmental Planning

A truly unique and outstanding feature of The Willow School will be its approach to nature and the surrounding environment. Situated in the beautiful New Jersey countryside on a spectacular 34-acre forested site, the school will so fully embrace its surroundings that the site will be integral to all aspects of the curriculum. The buildings will incorporate many environmentally sensitive design features, allowing the school to seek a high level of certification from the United States Green Building Council in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. The grounds will preserve the natural beauty of the area, with design features that include many outdoor learning spaces and constructed wetlands for the filtration of wastewater that will provide for the return of an abundance of clean water to the groundwater system. Natural meadows, butterfly gardens, water harvesting and hedgerows will all be incorporated into the site.

Throughout the curriculum and The Willow School learning experience, children will be exposed to the wonder, the beauty, the pleasure and the richness of nature. Through frequent interactions with the natural surroundings, children will learn about the ecology of life and the importance of connections among all living things. They will learn about community, ethics, respect and responsibility as they learn to extend the lessons of natural ecology to the ecology of interpersonal relationships.

Willow School children will learn about sustaining healthy surroundings through the protection of air and water, and the preservation and conservation of natural resources. Walks in the forest, classes held outdoors and in classrooms with large windows and an abundance of natural light, outdoor music and poetry experiences, and connections between art and nature will allow children to connect with nature and to find peace and harmony in the beauty of the natural world.

Through connections with history, economics, and other studies in the social sciences, children will study the ways humans interact with nature. The will learn of the many ways that we benefit from nature through jobs, use of natural resources, shelter and comfort, and the growing of food, and they will learn how to beneficially sustain those relationships and interactions in a healthy society. They will enjoy the many advantages and pleasures of outdoor activity, through sports that range from the traditional to the innovative.

Willow School children will learn about nurturing and caring for plants and animals. They will explore the life cycles of water and oxygen. They will learn of the many environmental factors that affect life, and the ways in which plants and animals are mutually dependent. By observing their natural surroundings closely and carefully, Willow School children will learn to locate and identify many kinds of patterns, thus engaging in mental processes that improve their problem-solving skills in mathematics and other subject areas. Children will, also explore many connections in the workings of nature, broadening their abilities to find linkages among various subject areas.

At The Willow School, each child will have the opportunity to develop an identity that is firmly rooted in the land. In many ways the study and enjoyment of nature will reflect and enhance the health, depth and scope of the entire Willow School educational experience.

Consulting Resources:

• Landscape design (Back to Nature Landscape Associates)
   
• Water quality management (Natural Systems International.)