Landis Woods Nature Preschool is a fully licensed preschool certified by the PA Department of Education for preschoolers ages 3 to 5. We utilized the elementary entrance requirements of the Manheim Township School District to build our curriculum with Mother Nature as a teacher and the great outdoors as our classroom. This nature-based preschool focuses on immersing children in nature while preparing them for kindergarten. Our teacher and environmental education staff will use the Boettcher House Environmental Education Center as the home base and Landis Woods as the classroom.
Three-year-old children will attend on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9:00 – 11:30 AM; and four-year-olds will participate on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings from 9:00 – 11:30 AM. All participants must be toilet-trained. Children entering the 3-year old class must be three (3) by August 31st of the current year; Children entering the Pre-K class must be four (4) by August 31st of the current year. A registration packet and calendar will be provided outlining all the necessary information for participation in the program.
The rise in obesity among children is due largely to lack of time spent outdoors. Contact with nature awakens our senses. Consider the smell of an ocean breeze or the sweet scent of a freshly mown hay field. Close your eyes and listen to the story a songbird sings to greet the day and the soothing hoot of an owl putting the day to rest. Taste a sun-warmed wild mountain blueberry or the single droplet of sweetness inside the flower of the honeysuckle bush. Touch the smooth back of a frog or the soft fur of a rabbit. By allowing children to explore and spend time with nature we can foster and renew this connection with the natural world which has been lost to classrooms and technology. *Louv (2008) states that "Natural play strengthens children's self-confidence and arouses their senses" (p. 186). *Louv,R. (2008). Last child in the woods: Saving our children from nature-deficit disorder (Updated and expanded). Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. Children who learn and play outdoors are healthier and more socially well-adjusted, not to mention, their attention span is superior to children who spend the majority of their time indoors. Our program addresses the whole child, his or her cognitive development, of course; but also social, emotional, communication and self-help areas of development.
Registration for Landis Woods Nature Preschool opens at 8 AM on the first business day of January for the upcoming school year. For example, you can register for the 2019-2020 school year on January 2nd, 2019. Students must be 3 years old by August 31st of that year to enroll in the 3-year old class, and 4 years old by August 31st of that year to enroll in the Pre-K class. Your child will stay with that class for the entirety of the school year. Additional questions can be directed to the email below. To register, please fill out the application and submit it via email or to Stauffer Mansion, along with the $50 registration fee. Applications can be emailed to NaturePreschool@manheimtownship.org or delivered or mailed to ATTN: Preschool Registration 1241 Lititz Pike, Lancaster, PA 17601 Payments can also be taken over the phone at 717-290-7180 ext 3100.