Early Childhood banner image featuring staff and students.

Nature-Based 4 School Philosophy

Nature-Based 4 School embraces the philosophy of play-based learning, allowing children to learn by experiencing God’s world first hand. Nature-Based 4 School offers discovery-based learning through play, sensory, gross motor and fine motor activities and creative expression using the natural world as a catalyst for children’s growth and development.  Children build their knowledge through their direct experiences with nature, classroom materials and their relationships with peers and adults.

Admission Requirements

Hudsonville Christian School admits to its Nature-Based 4 School program any student who comes from a family who supports opportunities for a response to God’s Word and has reached the following milestones before the first day of school:

  • 4 years of age
  • toilet trained

For more Nature-Based 4 School enrollment information, please visit the Early Childhood Enrollment page.

4 School Nature-Based Options

2 Days Per Week

Days Times Cost
Tuesday and Thursday morning    8:15 – 11:00 $1065
Tuesday and Thursday afternoon    12:00 – 2:40 $1065

 

3 Days Per Week

Days Times Cost
Monday / Wednesday / Friday morning    8:15 – 11:00 $1555
Tuesday / Thursday / Friday morning    8:15 – 11:00 $1555
Monday / Wednesday / Friday afternoon    12:00 – 2:40 $1555

 

All schedule options are subject to sufficient enrollment.

Items to be provided by parents                         

  1. Waterproof rain boots
  2. Crocs – to be used indoors
  3. Oakiwear Suit – several options available for warm and cold weather.

What can you expect to see your child doing in Nature-Based 4 School

What can you expect to see your child doing in Nature-Based 4 School:

  • Observe, wonder and explore God’s creation
  • Praise God with music
  • Grow in the knowledge of God through Bible stories outside, and Bible memory
  • Actively participate in prayer
  • Engage in learning centers
  • Develop writing skills by learning to write our names, letters, and numbers
  • Learn letter name and sounds
  • Develop fine motor skills through various hands-on activities
  • Increase vocabulary as well as receptive and expressive language
  • Sort, classify, match and create patterns
  • Enjoy activities that promote one-to-one correspondence, number recognition and counting
  • Engage in simple experiments and observation
  • Participate in art activities that foster imagination and experimentation
  • Develop independence and practice following multi-step directions
  • Participate in activities that promote building friendships, sharing, and taking turns
  • Use spatial skills and reasoning to experiment with various manipulatives
  • Explore God’s world in an open-ended format
  • Daily hike to explore the current theme

Nature-Based 4 School Goals

Spiritual Development:

  • Help children know they belong to God and are secure in His love and care
  • Help children experience awe and wonder about God and His work
  • Share Bible stories, songs and prayer

Academic Development:

  • Develop language and literature skills, including listening skills, sound and formation of alphabet letters, left to right progression and Spanish instruction.
  • Learn letters and sounds using Zoo-phonics
  • Develop math readiness skills, including basic shapes, patterns, counting concepts, basic colors and using manipulatives
  • Develop readiness skills, including days of the week, months of the year, weather, seasons, health, senses, personal information, hygiene and discovery of God’s world

Physical Development:

  • Develop fine motor skills, including folding and tearing paper, tracing, cutting with scissors, puzzles, toys, pencil and crayon grip and printing name and alphabet letters
  • Develop gross motor skills, including running, jumping, climbing, hopping, skipping, moving with music and posture and balance
  • Develop hand writing skills using Handwriting Without Tears

Nature-Based 4 School Daily Schedule

Lesson and Activity Sequence:

  • Outdoor play
  • Group Meeting, Devotions and Bible story
  • Excursion to “Beyond” in God’s world
  • Snack
  • Choice Time
  • Small Groups
  • Group Meeting and Closing

Staff

Classroom Teacher:

Ms. Jessica Bongiorno
Mrs. Missy VanBennekom