Curriculum & Principles

Sonoma Earth School provides an integrated learning experience. Students are immersed in an expansive experience of time as they move through different activities and group constellations throughout the day. Distinct subjects such as math, history, social studies, and science are drawn out of the students’ direct experience as they explore our unique site, work in the garden, plan, build, craft and play. The curriculum is informed each day by the seasons, the environment, and the progress of the students. Ours is a living curriculum!

Approach

We seek out ideas that stretch us to develop our ability to observe, articulate and meet the learning needs of our students. We believe an understanding of child development rests on ancient principles as much as it does on modern educational research. We embrace the enlivening and harmonizing effects that working directly in nature has on the developing human being. We honor each person as truly individual, and guide each student with care. 

Learning

To be fully engaged in the world means to learn. Learning means growing. For our students, learning is united with their development. We set aside grade-specific benchmarks and standardization in order to place the true nature of each developing child at the center of our school. We prioritize understanding and meeting each child’s path to learning. Out of this understanding, challenges are individualized for each student to keep them reaching for their next stage. Each new skill brings a new awareness of the world, and a new consciousness within the child. 

Our faculty is given the flexibility to creatively guide the learning process of each student, taking advantage of opportunities as they arise in the environment, and through student curiosity. Core academic skills are practiced everyday, not to pass a test, but because they open doors for the student in their path to becoming a human being. 

Nature 

Our students develop a deep awareness of and connection to nature. Through our curriculum, regard for nature as a living being develops into a lifelong relationship. Direct experiences in nature are the starting point for academic and developmental work. We spend most of our time outdoors in nature everyday.

Nature is our classroom.

Craft

In crafts such as woodworking, building, weaving and sculpting, imagination and planning become windows into the future of what the crafted object will become. Reflection on the results logically informs the students’ thinking and next round of planning. When the crafted object is put to practical use by other people, the student gains the satisfying sense of contributing value to their community. 

Language

Our dual-language immersion in Spanish and English allows students to develop a greater relationship with world cultures. Language is an essential aspect of being human and interacting with others. We regard clarity of language as a foundation for self-expression and thinking. Language is the art that binds the unspoken innerlife of the student to the outer world. As multiple languages are learned, the reciprocal relationship to the world grows.

Music & Art

Music connects us, harmonizes our emotions and brings joy to community life. Students playfully engage in singing and instrumental music in ways that include all students in the shared experience of music. In contrast to this social experience, the visual arts offer a means to sharpen individual observation, coordination and insight.

Reverence

We approach our students’ learning through a joyful sense of reverence. As the students grow, reverence for the spirit, for the natural world, and for other human beings forms the ground for an essential element of true identity: reverence for oneself. 

Equity and Inclusion

A sense of belonging is one of the greatest human needs. True connection transcends differences without diminishing each individual's unique identity. We embrace all aspects of human identity, including race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, family composition, learning style, religion, and socio-economic status. We are committed to the daily work of bringing all students and their families a sense of belonging within our program.