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  • About
    • Welcome
    • Founding
    • Mission & Philosophy
    • Team
    • Fast Facts
    • Parents
    • Posts
    • AO Gear
    • Animals
    • Gallery
  • Schedule
    • Daily Schedule
    • Morning Program
    • Curriculum Guide
    • Sandwich Club
    • Animal Curriculum
    • School Calendar
  • Admissions
    • Overview
    • Timeline
    • Tuition
    • Scholarships
  • Giving
    • Ways to Give
    • AmazonSmile
    • Scholarship Fair
    • Teacher’s Fund
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Stop Telling Kids to ‘Be Careful’ (and What to Say Instead)

April 11, 2022/ admin/ 0 Comments

Saying “be careful” all the time can confuse kids, instill fear, and lower their self-confidence. If you’ve ever watched your not-so-sure-footed kids ascend a tall—very tall—rope climbing structure at the playground, or hoist themselves atop a large, wobbly log in…

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Daycares in Finland Built Their Own ‘Forests’, And It Changed Kids’ Immune Systems

October 6, 2021/ admin/ 0 Comments

Playing through the greenery and litter of a mini forest’s undergrowth for just one month may be enough to change a child’s immune system, according to an experiment in Finland. When daycare workers rolled out a lawn, planted forest undergrowth…

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Can Climbing Trees Replace Preparing for Tests?

September 18, 2019/ Apple Orchard School/ 0 Comments

Nature-based preschools are becoming increasingly popular. But what are they, and are they effective? When I picked up my son from preschool on a recent summer afternoon, his dirty fingers were stained pink from the raspberries he and his classmates…

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Early Education Is More Demanding Than Ever, and Experts Have Concerns

August 21, 2019/ Apple Orchard School/ 0 Comments

The approach, stress and rigidity that often accompanies modern lesson plans may cause young children to feel frustrated or disengaged.

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To Really Learn Our Children Need to Play

August 11, 2019/ Apple Orchard School/ 0 Comments

The U.S. can learn a big lesson from Finland’s education system: Instead of stress and standardized testing, schools should focus on well-being and joy. Wall Street Journal

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Study: Kids Who Spend Time in Nature Become Happier Adults

April 16, 2019/ Apple Orchard School/ 0 Comments

At this point it seems the evidence is overwhelming—new studies seem to arrive on our desks each week that suggest simply spending time in green spaces can improve our health, both mentally and physically. As avid outdoors people, we instinctively…

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The Hidden Benefits of Girl-Boy Friendships and How to Foster Them Between Children

March 7, 2019/ admin/ 0 Comments

“Girl-boy friendships matter. They give kids a chance to explore themselves outside of constrictive gender scripts, and, ideally, question stereotypes,” observes writer Elisa Strauss on CNN. “Girl-boy friendships can help undo some of these socialized gender constraints. When parents and teachers…

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Children urged to play outdoors to cut risk of shortsightedness

January 8, 2019/ admin/ 0 Comments

Children should be encouraged to spend time outdoors to reduce their risk of becoming shortsighted, experts have said. Shortsightedness is rising around the world, with the condition said to have reached epidemic proportions in east Asia: estimates suggest about 90%…

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How Learning to Put on Rain Boots Leads to Academic Success

December 10, 2018/ admin/ 0 Comments

It is easy to accept that a one-year-old baby is not yet able to dress herself unassisted, or to put on socks and shoes without help. Even people who do not spend their days working and playing with very young…

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Young kids are being shuffled from one activity to another — in school and out. Why that’s bad for them.

October 13, 2018/ admin/ 0 Comments

Angela Hanscom is a pediatric occupational therapist who has written important (and popular) posts on this blog about child development and the unfortunate way that many schools fail to meet the needs of young children. Her first, in 2014, was…

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Latest Posts

What Sweden Teaches Us About Parenting and the Outdoors – Nine tips gleaned from the Swedish parenting playbook.

Government-subsidized preschools, 480 days paid maternity leave, neighborhood rec...

April 11, 2022

Stop Telling Kids to ‘Be Careful’ (and What to Say Instead)

Saying “be careful” all the time can confuse kids,...

April 11, 2022

Oh baby, it’s cold outside…

You may be thinking, “I can barely get my...

December 9, 2021

Apple Orchard School

At Apple Orchard, our mission is to build an environment of trust and instill a lifelong love of learning within our active farm community. We spend a substantial amount of time outdoors and believe the farm, animals, trees, and fields are central to learning and to the development of the whole child.

Latest Posts

What Sweden Teaches Us About Parenting and the Outdoors – Nine tips gleaned from the Swedish parenting playbook.

Government-subsidized preschools, 480 days paid maternity leave, neighborhood rec...

April 11, 2022

Stop Telling Kids to ‘Be Careful’ (and What to Say Instead)

Saying “be careful” all the time can confuse kids,...

April 11, 2022

Contact Us

282 D Newton Street

Brookline, MA 02445

Phone: 617-731-6463

Fax: 617-566-0272


Photos & Illustrations

The beautiful photos, images, and logo found throughout our website were taken and created by former Apple Orchard parents, David & Laura Salafia. And, thank you to John Farrington, Tabatha Flores, and Pete Johannsen for their amazing photo contributions.

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