Tender Tracks Tales and Trails is no longer running programs for children. Please check out the home page to get a little idea of what is being offered. I have not gotten rid of this info page yet as, well, I am emotionally just not ready to. 🙂
With much warmth and gratitude,
Wendolyn
Tender Tracks is a 100% Outdoor Nature Awareness Preschool, designed for children ages 3 to 5. Nine children attend each school year, accompanied by two adults from September through June.
Tender Tracks families drop off and pick up their children at Peri Park (46 Park Road Fairfax, CA 94930, next door to Fairfax Women’s Center), where we then head off to natural and local settings. We then have a morning circle with stories, songs and snack to bring us into our adventures and explorations of the day.
What if it rains? We put on boots and rain gear! Extra clothes are always kept available so the children can change into dry things after wet or muddy adventures. We might even bring out the fire wood that has been gathered during dry days and cook over an open fire.
Children are natural explorers, capable of discovering and figuring out many aspects of life given the freedom and framework to do so.
We at Tender Tracks believe that by guiding each child’s inherent awe,wonder and curiosity about our Earth, they grow towards greater unity to self and all life. They embrace self-respect, self-confidence, self-awareness and self-esteem. These essential qualities help children weather the many challenges that life presents. Children learn through seeing, doing and being. Tender Tracks is filled with not only seeing and doing but also allowing the time needed for integration – BEING.
The children’s days are filled with adventures that develop motor skills and balance, communication skills, and stimulate all of their senses.
The art of questioning is an ongoing tool that builds the foundation of basic life skills of how to learn. The educators’ model this learning with enthusiasm, encourage investigation and problem solving.
The small group setting encourages safe exploration of their world and the development of social skills, including leadership, conflict resolution and cooperation, all in a developmentally appropriate style.
The beautiful land of Marin is our playground and schoolhouse. From the wetland marshes to the redwood forests, from county parks to wildlife preserves, we discover wonders everywhere. Several different locations are chosen to meet at during our year together. In this way a great sense of place is developed and a foundational attitude of care taking is laid.
Tender Trackers have a lot of fun while building a bond with the natural world. They learn about ecosystems and how to “read” nature. They hike, track animals, and learn about seasons and scat, friendly and formidable plants, first aid and friendship. The children develop habits of observation; to see the deer up close, you must be still.
Bonding with the Earth comes by way of being in it, with it. Every day the children use their senses of touch, taste, hearing and smell. Tender Tracks children are provided with many different types of experiences to aid them with exploring their world and developing a deep and abiding connection with it. They may cook foods from nuts and berries, make toys from what they find in front of them or stuff pillows with cattail seeds. For rainy days, they gather wood and cook over a fire. They learn dozens of imaginative songs and stories throughout their days.
Please contact Director Wendolyn Bird at
Download an informational flyer (pdf): Tender Tracks 2019
