For 30 years, our student-centered philosophy and experiential learning have been inspiring wonder, nurturing growth, and developing the best in our community’s children. Our nature-based curriculum is uniquely suited to Missoula, tapping into children’s natural curiosity, while developing deep observation and critical thinking skills.
Clark Fork School is a play-based learning environment. We strongly believe that when young children play together, they learn invaluable social lessons, developing the foundations for life-long learning and a successful school career. Play also fosters their academic development as they are encouraged to explore, take risks, and teach one another. When our teachers design their classroom they try to ensure that their students will have fun and be engaged. However, they also very intentionally plan the learning objectives that underlie each activity. As a play-based environment, those learning objectives are not always obvious. This blog is designed to illuminate some of the learning objectives that underlie our activities and provide an explanation for why CFS chooses to teach children in this way.
Clark Fork School is a play-based learning environment. We strongly believe that when young children play together, they learn invaluable social lessons, developing the foundations for life-long learning and a successful school career. Play also fosters their academic development as they are encouraged to explore, take risks, and teach one another. When our teachers design their classroom they try to ensure that their students will have fun and be engaged. However, they also very intentionally plan the learning objectives that underlie each activity. As a play-based environment, those learning objectives are not always obvious. This blog is designed to illuminate some of the learning objectives that underlie our activities and provide an explanation for why CFS chooses to teach children in this way.