We support children daily, and actively engage with their world. It is the children that are our most important treasure to protect and empower as our future generation. We provide a home away from home for children. Our team of dedicated educators provide a safe, inclusive, healthy, nurturing, learning environment for our youngest learners and their families. 

Our centres care for children from 18 months old to 6 years old. We embrace a commitment to provide children with positive relationships to set the foundation for lifelong learning, individual expression, belonging and well-being. To do so our partnerships with our families and community is critical. Nature’s Nest Preschool is an inclusive environment and recognizes that each child and family is unique, remaining flexible to adapt to every child’s needs. Our Preschool, as an extension of the family and home, ensures that every child is safe, has nutritious food, and opportunities to play in a healthy and sustainable environment that encourages exploration. 

Relationships and communication between children, families, educators, and the environment are based on respect and acceptance, and we value the relationship that exists between our Preschool and our close-knit community of Thunder Bay. 

Core Values

·We value quality care and education that enables children to reach their full potential, in a safe, and nurturing environment. 

·We value unconditional compassion for all people as unique individuals, and for all circumstances. 

· We value the respect for children, their families, and colleagues, and desire it in return.

· We value the commitment it takes to establish a growing trust among the team, and the children and families that we support. Trust is the basis for establishing a healthy and supportive relationship. 

·We value the community as an important resource. 

·We value and respect nature and the natural environment, weaving its importance into our daily routine.

We believe in allowing the classroom to become its own teacher, creating spaces for children to choose their own learning journey. Supporting children with their decisions teaches them that we respect their choices and will then guide them through those choices.

Each area of interest provides its own benefits, play IS learning, here’s how:

When I am building with blocks, I am learning about shapes and sizes. I am learning how to follow a design that I have in my head. When I work with friends I must cooperate and explain my ideas and plans. I am counting, grouping, sorting, classifying, problem solving and matching.

When I am playing in the dramatic play area, I try on various roles to help me process and understand my world. I am developing my social skills and ability to play with others, while using my imagination and being creative.  I am exploring concepts and relationships by acting them out.

In the art area I am expressing myself and being creative. I am using my small muscles and am developing eye-hand coordination. I am seeing cause and effect and the different properties of my materials. I am exploring all different types of media.  All my creations are unique and special – like me!

I can learn many concepts and things I didn’t know with books! I am also able to stretch my imagination, creativity, and language development. Books show me that there are universal symbols that represent words – this will help me to learn to read and write.  Books take me to new places!

I learn many things in the science area!  I learn labeling, classifying, comparing, weighing, measuring and the properties of things. I am also formulating questions about what is happening, and what will happen next.  The science area helps me to understand the world around me.

When I help take care of my classroom, I feel important and a part of things.  It also helps to teach me responsibility and independence. I like to know that I can help! Being responsible makes me feel capable and competent, I like to feel helpful and important.

When I am working fitting small pieces together, I am concentrating and developing my fine motor skills. This is good practice - I will need to use these small muscles for holding a pencil when I learn to write.  When I finish, make, or master something I feel good about myself.

When I am pushing, pulling, jumping, running, throwing, climbing, and peddling, I am developing my muscles and coordination.  I am learning about controlling my body, spatial concepts, and working on my balance and eye-hand coordination.

When I am learning about food, I am measuring, comparing, counting, classifying, and experiencing how properties of things change.  I am role-playing, learning more about my world and about different cultures. I am learning the meaning of sustainability, the importance of farmers, the importance of pollinators and how vital our ecosystems are.

Music lets me be creative and express myself.  I am developing an appreciation for the arts, and my ability to be musical.  I am learning listening skills and how to differentiate sounds.  I am using the part of my brain that also does math. It is also fun to move my body and express myself through music!

Sand and water play is very calming.  It teaches me about science concepts like the properties of things in my world, and how they change and respond when manipulated. I use my small muscles when I pour, sift, scoop, and dig.  I am also measuring, counting, and comparing.  As I talk with my friends, I am expanding my language development.

When I am learning new languages, it is broadening my world view. I am strengthening my executive functions, such as learning to plan, focusing, multi-tasking, critical thinking, and achieving goals. I am even learning empathy for myself and for others, because learning new things can be difficult, making patience and compassion key to my development.

The writing area lets me experience and explore the written word. I can see how the written word is a part of my world.  When I play “office” I am practicing my letters and writing skills, which helps prepare me for school.

With number activities I am experiencing mathematical concepts hands-on.  I count, sort, classify, match, measure, compare, group, judge amounts and proportions, and learn about shapes, sizes, and quantities.  I learn 1-to-1 correspondence, problem-solving, and about spatial relationships.

Participating in group time teaches me that I am part of a larger community.  I am also learning some things I will need to be able to do when I get to school – sit without bothering others, listen, wait my turn, and how to follow directions. Many educational concepts are introduced at this time.

Learning about different cultures helps me to become a global citizen. This helps me to understand how I can improve myself in the world around me through collaboration and inclusivity. This teaches me humility, problem-solving, what it means to share common goals, and how to cultivate solutions.