Elementary School
Typical Day
8:00am: Soft arrival, children play for the first part of the day…
8:30am Morning Circle, songs, games, community sharing.
9:00 am: Work period 1 (1.5 hours)
10:30am: Snack break
11:00am: Work Period 2 ( 1.5 hours)
12:30pm - 1:15pm: Lunch/Recess
1:15 pm: Theatre Class/ Read aloud/ Dancing.
2:15pm: Clean up/ Student jobs
2:30pm: Dismissal
2:45pm - 4pm : After-school activities
Ms. Carrie helps Huxley with his math work.
A cozy, homely cabin and all instruction is outside.
Our cabin and outside ranchos with stages (3 of them) helps to create a safe and nurturing environment for the students to work in and perform. Inside the cabin we have a cozy kitchen with homemade food cooking all day long, we have a library and research room with an abundant selection of books and a silent reading room where children can retreat to after they have completed their works. We also have a Games room and a Montessori Materials room. All instruction is completely outside, all day!
Morning Circle with songs, games and lots of social emotional connection.
Students learn at their own pace and we follow each child individually. Students help each other learn new concepts.
Students are required to do a number of works each week which are checked off by the school administrator on Fridays to make sure no-one falls through the cracks!
Each student is required to do different numbers of works according to their ability, but a typical student would be required to do the following works in a week:
Math Board
Math Chapter
Geometry Board
Creative Writing Prompt
Grammar Board
Dictionary/Thesaurus work
Poetry Board
Daily Oral Language
Spanish Class
Science Class
Mysteries Class
Personal Report
White boards
White boards of varying difficulty circulate the campus. Students are not divided by grade. They work at their own pace choosing the boards they feel comfortable with. Most students work above their normal grade level.
Mathematics
Students complete a white board each day. When a student does not understand a mathematical concept abstractly they use concrete materials. They also complete a chapter from their math book. Grades 1-3 work with Spiral Review and Grades 4-6 work with Oak Meadows. We don’t focus on grade, we give an assessment and work with each child where they are at. Some first graders are doing third grade books and some fifth graders are doing fourth grade books- our goal is to make the child feel stimulated and successful with where they are at. If a child does not understand a concept they ask the teacher to give them a mini lesson. The teacher does not stand up at the front of the class as they do in a traditional school.
Language and Creative Writing
We focus largely on creative writing and studying the intricacies of figurative language. Students spend time writing books, poems, songs, plays and stories. Each week a child is required to do a creative writing which they choose from a variety of creative writing prompts, once they have written their stories, many choose to read it to the rest of the class. Some students choose to write whole books with numerous chapters. We follow the child with whatever ignites their imagination. Every week the child is also required to complete a DOL - Daily Oral Language. This is a piece of writing with many punctuation mistakes and incorrect uses of language. It’s similar to a game where the children rewrite the paragraphs correctly. Children are also required to write poetry each week and some form of copy writing, usually it is the song of the week. Some students choose to write entire plays which they then act out with their friends and perform in our Nosara’s Got Talent Show!
Social Studies
We study all different characters from history in our Wax museums where the students research their characters, fill up poster boards with drawings and interesting facts and then make their characters come to life. The Upper Elementary and Middle Schoolers first do lots of research on the chosen country, and then come together to write their own play, which they then perform to all the parents. We study three countries every trimester.
Science / Universe
The Lower and Upper Elementary classes are taught the Montessori Five Great lessons.
The Coming of the Universe
The Coming of Life
The Coming of Humans
The Story of Writing
The Story of Numbers
Literature/Theater
At Nosara Playhouse, we study classic works of literature, transforming them into theatrical productions that come to life on stage. Each class performs anywhere from three to six plays annually. During the final two weeks of each trimester, our students dedicate themselves exclusively to these productions. This focused approach fosters a profound understanding of the themes, plots, and characters within each story, ensuring that every child not only appreciates the literature but also gains essential skills through the art of theater.
Here the students perform C.S. Lewis’s story of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
Reading
Every day students are required to read a chapter of a book and then complete a few sentences in a book report. Some students who have completed their work choose to read for hours until the end of the day. Two to three times a week, the teacher reads a classic chapter book to the kids.
Lunch and Cooking Classes
We provide a delicious, nutritious lunch and snack everyday, tico-style. Spaghetti, chicken and rice, empanadas, fresh fruit and vegetables. We offer gluten-free options and all food is cooked on site. Also, every month, we have a parent volunteer to give a cooking class.
Yoga
We regularly practice yoga, active mindfulness, gratitude and meditation.
We are a community of dancers, singers, actors and actresses.
We honor theatre and practice for the end of Trimester play most days. Theatre helps children with speaking, learning new words and confidence-building. We also practice dancing regularly and have our own choreographer, Ms. Jen.
We have dancers of all ranging abilities and we incorporate dancing into all of our plays.
We study the jungle, the animals and we plant our own vegetable gardens. Students develop an appreciation of our Earth’s resources.
We honor the Arts.
We study all different mediums. Fridays are usually spent doing some type of artwork. Students also spend a lot of time designing and painting the sets for our plays.
The final show sets the theme for the entire Trimester.
We make all our props for the plays and paint all of our sets.
We are a school that honors music and dancing.
We sing every day.
We have a music concert at the end of the year.
Different types of dancing is incorporated into our plays.
We believe in the power of story-telling.
We teach all the creation stories and believe the children have a right to decide which one they want to believe.
Some believe in them all… and some don’t believe in any.
