Forest School and Childcare Educator

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Join a dynamic team of passionate educators and nature-lovers!

Responsibilities

Volunteers support lead teachers in many different ways. Some duties include:

• Setting up the learning environment for developmentally appropriate and nature-based exploration
• Observing children’s investigations and discussing observations at the end of class with teachers in order to plan curriculum
• Facilitating children’s play by asking open-ended questions and allowing children to be self-directed
• Observing lead teachers’ methods and asking questions about approaches; accepting guidance about approaches
• Classroom material preparation (i.e., cutting paper, cleaning paint brushes, etc.)
• Cleaning up activities & classroom at the end of the day

Volunteers follow the teacher’s lead and help the day run smoothly. The responsibilities listed above are just some of the ways that volunteers support children’s learning!

Expectations

The teaching team at Wild Haven follows best teaching practices in order to support children’s development. When volunteers join us in class, we expect:

• Volunteers will play alongside children by sitting on the floor and engaging with them
• Volunteers will not use their cell phones and keep electronic devices tucked away at all times
• Volunteers will only use Wild Haven teachers’ phones to photograph/record children’s play
• Volunteers will only use photos/video of children playing for required coursework documentation, NOT personal social media. Doing so is grounds for termination of internship.
• Volunteers will arrive each day prepared to join us in outdoor exploration by wearing appropriate all-weather gear (Wild Haven will be able to provide/loan some gear, depending on the volunteer’s need)