Who We Are
The Moss House is Broome County’s first Nordic-inspired educational Forest School for all children. While our understanding of how children develop has changed, preschools and kindergartens have not. We believe that the traditional school model is outdated and prohibitive to a child’s natural developmental stages, and cannot support modern understanding of human development. We have taken the curriculum of the most successful learning programs in the world and placed them in the natural environment. Our goal is to provide a space for everyone that celebrates childhood, diversity, and the environment. We use the most current studies and guidance from top child developmentalists as well as guidance from the Forest School Association to build a program that honors all children and their abilities.
The Moss House uses the Nordic preschool and kindergarten curriculum of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark to guide our values and teachings. At The Moss House, our Core Values are:
Respect and dignity for humans and nature
All humans are entitled to dignity; children are entitled to dignity within care. We are all deserving of honor, worth, and respect. We extend that respect to all living things, from the tiniest bug to the tallest tree.
Freedom of thought and expression
Children have the right to choose their own thoughts, opinions, belief systems and to examine and question the world around them. We support each child’s self-regulation development to allow them to exercise this right healthfully and safely.
Compassion
All living things are entitled to compassion, including generosity, kindness, objectivity, sensitivity, and tolerance. By role-modeling and guiding, we support children’s development of compassion towards each other, the community and world around them.
Forgiveness
All humans deserve the opportunity to extend or receive forgiveness to themselves and others. This includes accepting responsibility for one’s actions, demonstrating remorse when it is felt, restoring the relationship by offering to make amends, and agreeing to move forward from the situation.
Solidarity
We are all part of our global community, our local community, and our Moss House community. We stand together united in our goal of learning, caring for each other, caring for the environment, and building a strong community we can enjoy and rely on in the future.
FAQs
What is Forest School?
“Forest School is a child-centred inspirational learning process, that offers opportunities for holistic growth through regular sessions. It is a long-term program that supports play, exploration and supported risk taking. It develops confidence and self-esteem through learner inspired, hands-on experiences in a natural setting.” (Forest School Association). Our Forest School uses the Swedish and Norwegian preschool curriculum as a guide for supporting all areas of development: physical, linguistic, cognitive, emotional, social, and spiritual. In cooperation with the home and family, our Forest School shall promote the development of children to become active, creative, competent, and responsible people and members of society.
Where are you located?
The Moss House is located in the Park Manor neighborhood of Endwell, a very short walk from Highland Park. Our classes are held at Lower Highland Park, Shelter 7. Mindfully Wild classes are indoors at 800 Valley Plaza, Johnson City NY.
What classes do you offer?
We offer classes for children ages 3-18, and caregiver/child (typically called Mommy and Me) classes. The three primary programs of The Moss House are Playfully Wild! (ages 3-5), Fundamentally Wild! (ages 6-9, ages 10-12, ages 13-18), and Mindfully Wild! (caregiver/child, any ages).
In addition to our primary programs, we also offer free play hours, summer camps, family activities, kindness/mindfulness workshops, and reservations for birthday parties.
What is the schedule?
For the 2023-2024 school year (September 2023-June 2024), classes will run as follows:
Playfully Wild!: Tuesday 9:00am-11:30am
Fundamentally Wild!: Tuesday Wednesday 1:00pm-4:00pm
Mindfully Wild!: Wednesday 10:00am- 11:00am
What are your rates?
Playfully Wild!: $7/drop in
Fundamentally Wild!: $50 per week, six week sessions
Mindfully Wild!: $5/child, $15/family maximum, drop in, reservations for play groups available, childcare provided.
What People Are Saying
Organizations That Inspire and Guide Us
NAAEE Guidelines for Excellence
Forest School Association
Swedish National Preschool Curriculum
Developmentally Appropriate Practices
Let the children be free; encourage them;
let them run outside when it is raining;
let them remove their shoes when they find a puddle of water;
and when the grass of the meadows is wet with dew,
let them run on it and trample it with their bare feet;
let them rest peacefully when a tree invites them to sleep beneath its shade;
let them shout and laugh when the sun wakes them in the morning.
-Maria Montessori