Our Mission
At Blackberry Blossom, we are committed to connecting children to the natural world through play. We provide a holistic and enriching early childhood experience that fosters physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being in the best possible classroom for a child – outside.
Our mission is:
to promote connection with and respect for nature, others, and oneself;
to encourage creativity, risk-taking, and reflection;
and to develop confidence, resiliency, and grit.
Our Approach
Our pedagogy is eclectic, mainly drawing from the Forest School and Nature Preschool movements in Europe and the United States, respectively. We are heavily influenced by thinkers and authors such as David Sobel, Richard Louv, Peter Gray, and Angela Hanscom, all of whom have extensively studied the positive impacts of play and connecting children with the natural world. You can see all of these inspirations in action in three main ways: play-based, place-based, and process-based learning at Blackberry Blossom.
Play-Based Learning is an educational approach where children learn through engaging in self-chosen play activities that are imaginative or open-ended. It helps children to develop social and cognitive skills, mature emotionally, practice creativity, and gain self-confidence.
Place-Based Learning uses both the community and the environment as a foundation for learning. It emphasizes hands-on learning experiences that connect children to their immediate community and the natural world.
Process-Based Learning emphasizes the process of learning, not just the final outcome. It encourages children to try without fear of failure, to take risks. It promotes higher-level thinking and problem solving skills. It might be messy and incomplete, but it’s always fun.
Our Learning Environment
Blackberry Blossom Preschool is a mini-homestead that is located on a little less than an acre just minutes from Tri-North Middle School in Bloomington, Indiana. We are an outdoor preschool, which means that, with the exception of inclement weather, we are outside rain, shine, or snow. We have a playground, giant sand pit, mud kitchen, art/tinkering workspace, vegetable gardens, a pumpkin patch, dozens of fruit trees, chickens, (rabbits coming soon), open green space and loose parts, and of course, a huge blackberry patch. An indoor play space is available during dangerous weather. Click Gallery to view more photos of our lovely little oasis in the city.
